(2) Contractors for service awarded under an air star route contract will be required to provide fully adequate and suitable aircraft for the carriage of the mail and to transport the whole of said mail, whatever may be its size, weight, or increase during the terms of the contract, with celerity, certainty, and security on each and every trip as required by the advertisement. Contractors may be required to convey without extra charge (1) all post office blanks, mail bags, locks and keys and other postal supplies that may be offered to them, and (11) postal inspectors and other agents and officials of the Department, on regular scheduled trips on which mail is handled and between the points specified in the official statement of the route, when the space or weight limits of the plane permits.

(3) The acceptance of a bid and the execution of a contract for the performance of air star route service does not authorize the contractor or carrier to engage in the transportation of persons or property, for compensation, between the points or over the route described in the contract without compliance with applicable Federal and State statutes and with applicable rules and regulations of the FAA and of the CAB.

(4) Bidders for proposed air star routes and their sureties will acquaint themselves with Federal laws relating to contracts for carrying the mail.

(5) All accepted bidders under an advertisement for air star routes will be required to execute contracts with sureties acceptable to the Department. A list of acceptable surety companies is shown in § 521.3 (c) (2) of this chapter.

(6) Contracts must be executed and filed in the Department within 60 days from the date of acceptance of the bid, otherwise the accepted bidder may be considered as having failed. The Department reserves the right to (i) suspend the award of contract on any route for a period not exceeding 60 days from the date of the expiration of the advertisement and allow a corresponding extension of time for the execution of the contract, and (ii) to rescind the acceptance of a proposal at any time before the signing of the formal contract on behalf of the United States without allowing indemnity.

(7) Where there is rail service or good highway facilities, or a combination of both, generally an air star route could not be justified. However, prospec

tive applicants for air star routes should communicate with the Regional Director, Post Office Department, of the postal region in which the proposed route is located. When the official approves the application and forwards an appropriate recommendation to the Bureau of Transportation and International Services, necessary certification by the CAB will be requested if approved by that Bureau.

(8) Air star route contractors, except in Alaska, will be required to comply with such economic regulations as may be prescribed from time to time by the CAB.

(9) Contracts will comply with all provisions of Executive Order No. 10925 of March 5, 1961, and of the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity.

Advertise

(a) Obtaining bids-(1) ments. After obtaining a certification from the CAB that the proposed route does not conflict with the development of air transportation, an advertisement is issued by the Department inviting proposals for air transportation of mail between the points and on the terms stated. Copies of the advertisement are furnished to postmasters for posting at terminal offices.

(2) Requirements of bidders. Bidders must meet the following requirements:

(1) Eligibility. (a) No proposal for a contract for air star route service shall be considered unless the bidder is a resident of, or is qualified to do business as a common carrier by air, in a State within which one or more points to be served under the proposed contract are located. The term "State" as used here includes the several States, and the District of Columbia.

(b) Only bidders holding an appropriate operating certificate issued by the FAA will be considered for award of a contract for air star route service.

(c) For further eligibility requirements, see § 521.3 (c) (2) (1) of this chapter.

(ii) Bonds. See § 521.3 (c) (b) (iii) of this chapter.

(3) Obtaining proposal forms. See § 521.3(c) (5) of this chapter.

(4) Submitting bids. See § 521.3 (c) (6) of this chapter.

(b) Award of contract. See § 521.3 (d) of this chapter.

(c) Application of contract_regulations. If there is no conflict, all laws and regulations governing surface star routes in general apply to contracts made under the air star route law.

(d) Payments. See § 521.3 (h) of this chapter.

(e) Cancellation of air star route contract. A contract shall be canceled by the Post Office Department upon the issuance by the CAB of an authorization to any air carrier to engage in the transportation of mail by aricraft between any of the points named in the air star route contract.

(f) Revocation of FAA certificate. If a contractor for an air star route should have his operating certificate revoked, the air star route contract shall become null and void effective with the date of loss of such certificate, without payment of any indemnity.

§ 532.3 Protection of mail.

The contractor is required to take all necessary steps to protect the mail in accordance with the terms of the advertisement.

§ 532.4 Reports and records.

Postmasters at terminal points must maintain such records and submit such reports as may be directed by the transportation division director.

533.6 Form 2753-A, Mail Delivery Record. 533.7 Form 2759, Report of Irregular Handling of Airmail.

533.8 Applicability of forms and procedures. 533.9 Airmail and first-class mail by air forms, titles, and sources of supply. AUTHORITY: The provisions of this Part 533 issued under 5 U.S.C. 301, 39 U.S.C. 501.

SOURCE: The provisions of this Part 533 appear at 33 F.R. 5161, March 29, 1968, unless otherwise noted.

§ 533.1 Form 2729, Weekly Summary of Airmail Dispatched.

(a) Description. Form 2729 covers airmail dispatched to all domestic air

carriers operating within and between the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and to Canada. See 533.31 for exception. It is the basic document from which payments to the original and interline air carriers are computed. See § 533.9 for supply.

(b) Preparation. (See Exhibit following this paragraph.)

(1) Who prepares. (i) The form is an eight-part weekly summary of airmail dispatched to a specific trip. The seven copies are provided for transmission to air carrier for load planning with each day's tender of mail for that trip. The original and Part 2 (Friday copy) will furnish a weekly summary of mail dispatched to a trip for the postal data center and to air carrier accounting, since each day's dispatch is entered on the original and is shown on Part 2.

(ii) Headings are entered on each form with an electric-tape-driven typewriter by the regional headquarters post office which is under the technical direction of the regional transportation division. The forms are then sent to dispatching postal units for entering the pieces, weights, totaling each day's dispatch and closing the form at the end of the week, at 2400 on Friday.

(2) Heading form. The regional headquarters post office will enter the following:

(i) Inclusive dates of week covered by the form.

(ii) The two-letter alpha code identifier of the air carrier to which mail is dispatched.

(iii) Trip number of actual dispatch. (iv) Prefix the serial number with the regional number.

(v) Scheduled departure time of the trip (in 2400 hour clock) and frequency of trip.

(vi) Origin code of the airport through which the mail is dispatched.

(vii) Destination code of mail in the "DEST" box. When a trip serves the destination of the mail, only the code will be entered. Enter transfers as follows:

(a) Intraline-transfer point (s) above "DEST" block in scheme order.

(b) Interline-transfer point in "DEST or TR PT" box above the "DEST" block and the receiving air carrier's twoletter alpha code at the right of the transfer point under the "Route No." heading.

(c) Show multiple transfers from top to bottom in schemed order above the "DEST" box. Identify interchange trips with an "X" following the second carrier's route identifier.

(viii) When the pouch is made on a frequency other than the trip's frequency, enter the pouch frequency in the "FREQ" box at the right of the related destination.

(3) Recording dispatches—(i) Under destination. (a) Dispatching postal units will use scratch sheets to accumulate pieces and weights of mail for each destination.

(b) Enter, under the proper destination, mail labeled to that point, mail scheduled to continue from that point by surface transportation, and mail for another air carrier when the transfer is to be effected through the airport mail facility. Use individual actual weights indicated on the labels of pouches, sacks, and outside parcels unless permission has been granted to bulk weigh mail on platform scales direct to the air carrier. It is necessary only that the total pieces and weight be entered in the space provided under respective destination column. Do not identify pouches, sacks, outside parcels, or register as such on this form. Enter pieces in the left hand side of the (PCS) block, and weight in the right hand side of the (WT) box for ease in adding pieces and weight columns at the close of the week.

(ii) Daily closing. (a) Cross add pieces and weights for the day's tender of mail, enter totals in "Total Mail" column, record mail ready time and initial form in the space provided for each day. The mail ready time will be that time the mail is available to the air carrier. Mail messenger or vehicle driver will make this entry at air stop post offices when he delivers the mail to the carrier at the airport.

day's

(b) Remove the appropriate copy from the back of the form and give it to the air carrier representative with the related mail. This procedure will continue throughout the week (through Friday, the last day).

(iii) Weekly closing. (a) Add pieces and weights shown under each destination and enter totals in "Total" box at the bottom of the form.

(b) Also add daily total of pieces and weights shown in the "Total Mail" column and enter grand totals for the week.

(c) Cross add "Total Pieces and Weights" shown in the total line and see that these totals agree with those previously entered for the Grand Total.

(d) Date and sign Post Office Certification of mail dispatched for the week.

(iv) If the volume of mail is too large to be listed on one Form 2729, use a new preheaded form provided by the regional headquarters postmaster.

(4) Irregular operations. (i) When it is necessary to manually add routings for pouches because of off schedule operations, either manually enter headings under a blank destination or head up and use a new Form 2729 from supply of blank forms furnished you by the regional headquarters post office.

(ii) Changes must not be made to routings on preheaded forms. When schedules are changed during the week and preheaded forms are not supplied, head a new form for the change to use for the remainder of the week. Close the preheaded obsolete form.

(iii) When an air carrier takes possession of the mail and the trip cancels, do not change entries on original Form 2729, instead air carrier must prepare Form 2734 to adjust the air transportation charges.

(iv) When it is necessary to correct a total, draw a line through the incorrect figure and write in the correct total.

(c) Sending Part 1, Form 2729, to Dallas Postal Data Center. When Part 1 has been closed and balanced for the week, send Forms 2729 arranged in serial number order to the Dallas Postal Data Center, Transportation Claims Section, Post Office Department, Box 1557, Main Post Office Building, Dallas, TX 75299. The forms must reach the PDC by no later than the opening of business the following Monday. The Dallas Postal Data Center will return Forms 2729 to the dispatching postal unit for regular retention as soon as the air transportation charges have been settled. A copy of Form 2729 must be given to the carrier based on scheduled frequency even though no mail was dispatched on a given day.

(d) Departure time. Postal units shall spot check actual departure time against "Mail Ready" time on Form 2729 to assure that unreported delays are not occurring.

(e) Interchange trips. (1) Mail moving over more than one airmail route on one aircraft must be properly identified

with an "X" following the second carrier's route identifier on Form 2729. No terminal charge is due at the interchange point, as mail remains on board the aircraft. This is needed to enable postal data center to properly identify this mail.

(2) Identify interchange trips on the States dispatch schemes with an "INT" shown between the transfer point and the interchange route number.

(f) Equalizations Authorized. (1) CAB Order No. E-21514, November 19, 1964, authorizes carriers engaging in interstate transportation and carriers performing foreign transportation to equalize rates for mail between an international exchange office and any foreign point to which such exchange office is authorized to dispatch mail. Mail transported under an equalization agreement shall be recorded on Form 2942, AV-7 Delivery List, for both the interstate and foreign segments of the carriage. It will not be considered in the division of mail for interstate carriers. Settlement of air transportation charges will be made to the carrier performing the foreign segment of the haul. That carrier will then pay the interstate carrier. When irregularities occur involving dispatches exchanged with other countries, give special attention to the preparation of Form 2759. Since the mail from a domestic carrier's trip may consist of (i) domestic destination airmail, (ii) airmail for foreign points not subject to equalization agreements or (iii) airmail for foreign points moving via equalized agreements, show separate entries on Form 2759 for (i) domestic mail, and (ii) foreign mail. Show complete routing of all foreign mail. This will enable the transportation division, by making a copy of Form 2759, to make a report of domestic mail to Air Transportation Branch and of foreign mail to International Services Division, Bureau of Transportation.

(2) American Airlines, Inc., and Pan American World Airways, Inc., have agreed to equalize rates to lowest charges in effect for airmail transported between Honolulu, on the one hand, and Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Hartford/ Springfield, New York/Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore/Washington on the other. Apply the following procedures for airmail dispatched via this equalization agreement:

(1) Enter complete interline routing on the pouch label or POD Label 53.

(ii) Record pouches or outsides on Form 2729 as an on-line dispatch. Show no interline routing on Form 2729.

(iii) Report irregularities on Form 2759 against the air carrier in possession of the mail when irregularity occurred.

(iv) The appropriate postal data center will pay entire transportation charges, from origin to ultimate destination, to the originating carrier. The originating carrier will pay connecting carrier for the interline service.

(g) Labeling pouches, sacks, and outsides. Pouches, sacks, and outside parcels bulk listed on Form 2729 must be identified so that airline and postal personnel handling the mail en route can provide the transportation ordered by the dispatching office. Before delivering the mail to the air carrier, prepare the labels of pouches and sacks to indicate final airline destination and the route over which it is to travel. Attach Label 53, Airmail Parcel Routing Sticker, for each air parcel dispatched outside. The information on pouch and sack labels and Label 53 for outside parcels must coincide with the corresponding entries on Form 2729 as follows:

(1) For mail billed to the final destination over the routes of two or more air carriers, enter on pouch or sack label in airline code the interline transfer points and the alpha code and trip numbers of the connecting air carrier at these points. Show this information in the left center of the label between the destination and from lines. Enter the same information in the "Transfer Point" and "Connection" blocks on Label 53 for outside parcels. Example: Mail from Toledo to AMF Houston TX via LC for transfer to UA at Detroit and EA at Atlanta will be labeled as follows: