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766 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 158.3 

imposed by a public agency that con-
trols a commercial service airport. 
This part also describes the procedures 
for reducing funds to a large or me-
dium hub airport that imposes a PFC. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2000–7402, 65 FR 34540, May 30, 
2000] 

§ 158.3 Definitions. 

The following definitions apply in 

this part: 

Airport 

means any area of land or 

water, including any heliport, that is 
used or intended to be used for the 
landing and takeoff of aircraft, and any 
appurtenant areas that are used or in-
tended to be used for airport buildings 
or other airport facilities or rights-of- 
way, together with all airport build-
ings and facilities located thereon. 

Airport capital plan 

means a capital 

improvement program that lists air-
port-related planning, development or 
noise compatibility projects expected 
to be accomplished with anticipated 
available funds. 

Airport layout plan (ALP) 

means a 

plan showing the existing and proposed 
airport facilities and boundaries in a 
form prescribed by the Administrator. 

Airport revenue 

means revenue gen-

erated by a public airport (1) through 
any lease, rent, fee, PFC or other 
charge collected, directly or indirectly, 
in connection with any aeronautical 
activity conducted on an airport that 
it controls; or (2) In connection with 
any activity conducted on airport land 
acquired with Federal financial assist-
ance, or with PFC revenue under this 
part, or conveyed to such public agency 
under the provisions of any Federal 
surplus property program or any provi-
sion enacted to authorize the convey-
ance of Federal property to a public 
agency for airport purposes. 

Air travel ticket 

includes all docu-

ments, electronic records, boarding 
passes, and any other ticketing me-
dium about a passenger’s itinerary nec-
essary to transport a passenger by air, 
including passenger manifests. 

Allowable cost 

means the reasonable 

and necessary costs of carrying out an 
approved project including costs in-
curred prior to and subsequent to the 
approval to impose a PFC, and making 
payments for debt service on bonds and 
other indebtedness incurred to carry 

out such projects. Allowable costs in-
clude only those costs incurred on or 
after November 5, 1990. Costs of ter-
minal development incurred after Au-
gust 1, 1986, at an airport that did not 
have more than .25 percent of the total 
annual passenger boardings in the U.S. 
in the most recent calendar year for 
which data is available and at which 
total passenger boardings declined by 
at least 16 percent between calendar 
year 1989 and calendar year 1997 are al-
lowable. 

Approved project 

means a project for 

which the FAA has approved using PFC 
revenue under this part. The FAA may 
also approve specific projects con-
tained in a single or multi-phased 
project or development described in an 
airport capital plan separately. This 
includes projects acknowledged by the 
FAA under § 158.30 of this part. 

Bond financing costs 

means the costs 

of financing a bond and includes such 
costs as those associated with issuance, 
underwriting discount, original issue 
discount, capitalized interest, debt 
service reserve funds, initial credit en-
hancement costs, and initial trustee 
and paying agent fees. 

Charge effective date 

means the date 

on which carriers are obliged to collect 
a PFC. 

Charge expiration date 

means the date 

on which carriers are to cease to col-
lect a PFC. 

Collecting carrier 

means an issuing 

carrier or other carrier collecting a 
PFC, whether or not such carrier issues 
the air travel ticket. 

Collection 

means the acceptance of 

payment of a PFC from a passenger. 

Commercial service airport 

means a 

public airport that annually enplanes 
2,500 or more passengers and receives 
scheduled passenger service of aircraft. 

Covered air carrier 

means an air car-

rier that files for bankruptcy protec-
tion or has an involuntary bankruptcy 
proceeding started against it after De-
cember 12, 2003. An air carrier that is 
currently in compliance with PFC re-
mittance requirements and has an in-
voluntary bankruptcy proceeding com-
menced against it has 90 days from the 

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767 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 158.3 

date such proceeding was filed to ob-
tain dismissal of the involuntary peti-
tion before becoming a covered air car-
rier. An air carrier ceases to be a cov-
ered air carrier when it emerges from 
bankruptcy protection. 

Covered airport 

means a medium or 

large hub airport at which one or two 
air carriers control more than 50 per-
cent of passenger boardings. 

Debt service 

means payments for such 

items as principal and interest, sinking 
funds, call premiums, periodic credit 
enhancement fees, trustee and paying 
agent fees, coverage, and remarketing 
fees. 

Exclusive long-term lease or use agree-

ment 

means an exclusive lease or use 

agreement between a public agency and 
an air carrier or foreign air carrier 
with a term of 5 years or more. 

FAA Airports office 

means a regional, 

district or field office of the Federal 
Aviation Administration that admin-
isters Federal airport-related matters. 

Financial need 

means that a public 

agency cannot meet its operational or 
debt service obligations and does not 
have at least a 2-month capital reserve 
fund. 

Frequent flier award coupon 

means a 

zero-fare award of air transportation 
that an air carrier or foreign air car-
rier provides to a passenger in ex-
change for accumulated travel mileage 
credits in a customer loyalty program, 
whether or not the term ‘‘frequent 
flier’’ is used in the definition of that 
program. The definition of ‘‘frequent 
flier award coupon’’ does not extend to 
redemption of accumulated credits for 
awards of additional or upgraded serv-
ice on trips for which the passenger has 
paid a published fare, ‘‘two-for-the- 
price-of-one’’ and similar marketing 
programs, or to air transportation pur-
chased for a passenger by other parties. 

Ground support equipment 

means serv-

ice and maintenance equipment used at 
an airport to support aeronautical op-
erations and related activities. Bag-
gage tugs, belt loaders, cargo loaders, 
forklifts, fuel trucks, lavatory trucks, 
and pushback tractors are among the 
types of vehicles that fit this defini-
tion. 

Implementation of an approved project 

means: (1) With respect to construc-
tion, issuance to a contractor of notice 

to proceed or the start of physical con-
struction; (2) with respect to non-
construction projects other than prop-
erty acquisition, commencement of 
work by a contractor or public agency 
to carry out the statement of work; or 
(3) with respect to property acquisition 
projects, commencement of title 
search, surveying, or appraisal for a 
significant portion of the property to 
be acquired. 

Issuing carrier 

means any air carrier 

or foreign air carrier that issues an air 
travel ticket or whose imprinted ticket 
stock is used in issuing such ticket by 
an agent. 

Medium or large hub airport 

means a 

commercial service airport that has 
more than 0.25 percent of the total 
number of passenger boardings at all 
such airports in the U.S. for the prior 
calendar year, as determined by the 
Administrator. 

Non-hub airport 

means a commercial 

service airport (as defined in 49 U.S.C. 
47102) that has less than 0.05 percent of 
the passenger boardings in the U.S. in 
the prior calendar year on an aircraft 
in service in air commerce. 

Nonrevenue passenger 

means a pas-

senger receiving air transportation 
from an air carrier or foreign air car-
rier for which remuneration is not re-
ceived by the air carrier or foreign air 
carrier as defined under Department of 
Transportation Regulations or as oth-
erwise determined by the Adminis-
trator. Air carrier employees or others 
receiving air transportation against 
whom token service charges are levied 
are considered nonrevenue passengers. 
Infants for whom a token fare is 
charged are also considered nonrevenue 
passengers. 

Notice of intent (to impose or use PFC 

revenue) 

means a notice under § 158.30 

from a public agency controlling a non- 
hub airport that it intends to impose a 
PFC and/or use PFC revenue. Except 
for §§ 158.25 through 30, ‘‘notice of in-
tent’’ can be used interchangeably with 
‘‘application.’’ 

One-way trip 

means any trip that is 

not a round trip. 

Passenger enplaned 

means a domestic, 

territorial or international revenue 
passenger enplaned in the States in 
scheduled or nonscheduled service on 

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768 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 158.5 

aircraft in intrastate, interstate, or 
foreign commerce. 

PFC 

means a passenger facility 

charge covered by this part imposed by 
a public agency on passengers enplaned 
at a commercial service airport it con-
trols. 

PFC administrative support costs 

means the reasonable and necessary 
costs of developing a PFC application 
or amendment, issuing and maintain-
ing the required PFC records, and per-
forming the required audit of the pub-
lic agency’s PFC account. These costs 
may include reasonable monthly finan-
cial account charges and transaction 
fees. 

Project 

means airport planning, air-

port land acquisition or development of 
a single project, a multi-phased devel-
opment program, (including but not 
limited to development described in an 
airport capital plan) or a new airport 
for which PFC financing is sought or 
approved under this part. 

Public agency 

means a State or any 

agency of one or more States; a mu-
nicipality or other political subdivision 
of a State; an authority created by 
Federal, State or local law; a tax-sup-
ported organization; an Indian tribe or 
pueblo that controls a commercial 
service airport; or for the purposes of 
this part, a private sponsor of an air-
port approved to participate in the 
Pilot Program on Private Ownership of 
Airports. 

Round trip 

means a trip on a com-

plete air travel itinerary which termi-
nates at the origin point. 

Significant business interest 

means an 

air carrier or foreign air carrier that: 

(1) Had no less than 1.0 percent of 

passenger boardings at that airport in 
the prior calendar year, 

(2) Had at least 25,000 passenger 

boardings at the airport in that prior 
calendar year, or 

(3) Provides scheduled service at that 

airport. 

State 

means a State of the United 

States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mar-
iana Islands, and Guam. 

Unliquidated PFC revenue 

means rev-

enue received by a public agency from 

collecting carriers but not yet used on 
approved projects. 

[Doc. No. 26385, 56 FR 24278, May 29, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 158–2, 65 FR 34540, May 30, 
2000; Amdt. 158–3, 70 FR 14934, Mar. 23, 2005; 
Amdt. 158–4, 72 FR 28847, May 23, 2007] 

§ 158.5 Authority to impose PFC’s. 

Subject to the provisions of this part, 

the Administrator may grant author-
ity to a public agency that controls a 
commercial service airport to impose a 
PFC of $1, $2, $3, $4, or $4.50 on pas-
sengers enplaned at such an airport. No 
public agency may impose a PFC under 
this part unless authorized by the Ad-
ministrator. No State or political sub-
division or agency thereof that is not a 
public agency may impose a PFC cov-
ered by this part. 

[Doc. No. 26385, 56 FR 24278, May 29, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 158–2, 65 FR 34541, May 30, 
2000] 

§ 158.7 Exclusivity of authority. 

(a) A State, political subdivision of a 

State, or authority of a State or polit-
ical subdivision that is not the eligible 
public agency may not tax, regulate, 
prohibit, or otherwise attempt to con-
trol in any manner the imposition or 
collection of a PFC or the use of PFC 
revenue. 

(b) No contract or agreement be-

tween an air carrier or foreign air car-
rier and a public agency may impair 
the authority of such public agency to 
impose a PFC or use the PFC revenue 
in accordance with this part. 

[Doc. No. 26385, 56 FR 24278, May 29, 1991, as 
amended by Amdt. 158–2, 65 FR 34541, May 30, 
2000] 

§ 158.9 Limitations. 

(a) No public agency may impose a 

PFC on any passenger— 

(1) For more than 2 boardings on a 

one-way trip or in each direction of a 
round trip; 

(2) On any flight to an eligible point 

on an air carrier that receives essential 
air service compensation on that route. 
The Administrator makes available a 
list of carriers and eligible routes de-
termined by the Department of Trans-
portation for which PFC’s may not be 
imposed under this section;