While agreeing that passengers aboard on-demand air charter companies should receive disclosure as to who is operating the flight, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) indicate disclosing names of individual owners would only confuse the situation. The comments were made to the DOT docket asking for reaction to its rulemaking plans requiring disclosure. Related Story  In calling for feedback, the DOT was reacting to a list of recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) related to the nature and timing of disclosures to air charter customers. The NTSB asked the DOT to require charter operators to disclose a variety of information to customers including the names of any brokers involved in the transaction, the aircraft owner, and the ultimate air carrier if different from the entity with whom the customer initially contracted. Responding to the specific issues raised by the NTSB, the association endorsed a clear standard whereby the name of the air carrier with operational control over a flight is disclosed to the consumer. NATA cautioned the DOT to ensure that operators have flexibility in determining how and when the disclosure occurs owing to the unique nature of industry.
As to the proposal to require individual ownership disclosure, NATA said, “Adoption of this recommendation would impede clarity for the consumer by falsely leading to a belief that the aircraft owner is ‘in charge’ or otherwise responsible for operations when, in fact, the opposite is true." The industry has been seeking guidance from the DOT on acceptable business practices so as to ensure uniformity in transactions and avoid potential enforcement action.