- air carrier
means any air carrier holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the Secretary of Transportation under section 41102.
- aircraft purchase
means the purchase of commercial transport aircraft, including spare parts normally associated with the aircraft.
- capital reserve subsidy amount
means the amount of budget authority sufficient to cover estimated long-term cost to the United States Government of a Federal credit instrument, calculated on a net present value basis, excluding administrative costs and any incidental effects on Government receipts or outlays in accordance with provisions of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661 et seq.).
- commuter air carrier
means a commuter operator as defined or applied in subpart K or S of part 93 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.
- commuters
means aircraft operations using aircraft having a certificated maximum seating capacity of 76 or less.
- covered air carrier
means an air carrier or a foreign air carrier as those terms are defined in section 40102 of title 49, United States Code.
- electronic cigarette
means a device that delivers nicotine to a user of the device in the form of a vapor that is inhaled to simulate the experience of smoking.
- eligible cargo
means cargo transported between Alaska and any other place in the United States on a foreign air carrier (having been transported from, or thereafter being transported to, a place outside the United States on a different air carrier or foreign air carrier) that is carried—
- eligible place
means a place in the United States that—
- enhanced essential air service
means scheduled air transportation to an eligible place of a higher level or quality than basic essential air service described in section 41732 of this title.
- enplanements
means the number of passengers enplaning, at an eligible place, on flights operated by the subsidized essential air service carrier.
- Federal credit instrument
means a secured loan, loan guarantee, or line of credit authorized to be made under this subchapter.
- financial obligation
means any note, bond, debenture, or other debt obligation issued by an obligor in connection with the financing of an aircraft purchase, other than a Federal credit instrument.
- flight
means, with respect to an aircraft, the period beginning when the aircraft takes off and ending when the aircraft lands.
- high density airport
means an airport at which the Administrator limits the number of instrument flight rule takeoffs and landings of aircraft.
- joint venture agreement
means an agreement between two or more major air carriers on or after January 1, 1998, with regard to (A) code-sharing, blocked-space arrangements, long-term wet leases (as defined in section 207.1 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations) of a substantial number (as defined by the Secretary by regulation) of aircraft, or frequent flyer programs, or (B) any other cooperative working arrangement (as defined by the Secretary by regulation) between 2 or more major air carriers that affects more than 15 percent of the total number of available seat miles offered by the major air carriers.
- lender
means any non-Federal qualified institutional buyer (as defined by section 230.144A(a) of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation) known as Rule 144A(a) of the Security and Exchange Commission and issued under the Security Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.)), including—
- limited incumbent air carrier
has the meaning given that term in subpart S of part 93 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations;
- line of credit
means an agreement entered into by the Secretary with an obligor under section 41763(d) to provide a direct loan at a future date upon the occurrence of certain events.
- loan guarantee
means any guarantee or other pledge by the Secretary under section 41763(c) to pay all or part of any of the principal of and interest on a loan or other debt obligation issued by an obligor and funded by a lender.
- major air carrier
means a passenger air carrier that is certificated under chapter 411 of this title and included in Carrier Group III under criteria contained in section 04 of part 241 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.
- medium hub airport
means an airport that each year has at least.25 percent, but less than 1.0 percent, of the total annual boardings in the United States as determined under the summary referred to in paragraph (7).
- mobile communications device
means any portable wireless telecommunications equipment utilized for the transmission or reception of voice data.
- new entrant air carrier
means an air carrier that does not hold a slot at the airport concerned and has never sold or given up a slot at that airport after December 16, 1985, and a limited incumbent carrier.
- nonhub airport
means an airport that had less than.05 percent of the total annual boardings in the United States as determined under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Primary Airport Enplanement Activity Summary for Calendar Year 1997.
- obligor
means a party primarily liable for payment of the principal of or interest on a Federal credit instrument, which party may be a corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or governmental entity, agency, or instrumentality.
- part 121 air carrier
means an air carrier to which part 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, applies.
- part 135 air carrier
means an air carrier to which part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, applies.
- regional jet
means a passenger, turbofan-powered aircraft with a certificated maximum passenger seating capacity of less than 71.
- regional jet aircraft
means a civil aircraft—
- regional/commuter carrier
means—
- secured loan
means a direct loan funded by the Secretary in connection with the financing of an aircraft purchase under section 41763(b).
- significantly increased costs
means a total unit cost increase (but not increases in individual unit costs) of 10 percent or more in relation to the total unit cost reflected in the compensation rate, based on the carrier’s internal audit of its financial statements if such cost increase is incurred for a period of at least 2 consecutive months.
- slot
means a reservation for an instrument flight rule takeoff or landing by an air carrier of an aircraft in air transportation.
- small hub airport
means an airport that had at least.05 percent, but less than.25 percent, of the total annual boardings in the United States as determined under the summary referred to in paragraph (7).
- State
means a State, the District of Columbia, and a territory or possession of the United States.
- subsidy cap
means the subsidy-per-passenger cap established under section 41731(a)(1)(C).
- termination
means the cessation of all service at an airport by an air carrier.
- underserved market
means a passenger air transportation market (as defined by the Secretary) that—