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Special Federal Aviation Regulation 105 — Operating Limitations for Unscheduled Operations at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport

Section 2. Terms. For purposes of this SFAR:

“Additional Reservation” is an approved reservation above the operational limit in section 3. Additional Reservations are available for unscheduled arrivals only, and are allocated in accordance with the procedures described in section 7 of this SFAR.

“Airport Reservation Office (ARO)” is an operational unit of the FAA's David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control System Command Center. It is responsible for the administration of reservations for the “other” category of operations, i.e. unscheduled flights at High Density Traffic Airports (14 CFR, part 93, subpart k), unscheduled flights under Special Traffic Management Programs, and the O'Hare Arrival Reservation Program (excluding public charter flights allocated in accordance with section 6).

“Enhanced Computer Voice Reservation System (e-CVRS)” is the system used by the FAA to make arrival and/or departure reservations at designated airports requiring reservations. Reservations are made through a touch-tone telephone interface, an Internet Web interface, or directly through the ARO.

“Public Charter” is defined in 14 CFR 380.2 as a one-way or roundtrip charter flight to be performed by one or more direct air carriers that is arranged and sponsored by a charter operator.

“Public Charter Operator” is defined in 14 CFR 380.2 as a U.S. or foreign public charter operator.

“Reservation” is an authorization received in compliance with applicable Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and procedures established by the FAA Administrator to operate an unscheduled arrival flight to O'Hare during peak hours.

“Unscheduled Arrival” is an arrival other than one regularly conducted and scheduled by an air carrier or other operator between O'Hare and another service point. However, certain types of air carrier operations are also considered as unscheduled for the purposes of this rule, including public, on-demand, and other charter flights; hired aircraft service; ferry flights; and other non-passenger flights.

Section 3. Operational Limits. Except as provided for in section 7 below, Unscheduled IFR Arrivals to O'Hare are limited to four Arrival Reservations per hour and no more than two Arrival Reservations during each half-hour, for the peak hours described in section 1.

Section 4. Reservation Requirement. Each person conducting an unscheduled IFR flight to O'Hare during the peak hours described in section 1 must obtain, for such flight operation, an Arrival Reservation allocated by the ARO or, in the case of public charters, in accordance with the procedures in section 6. An Arrival Reservation is not an air traffic control clearance. Additionally, it is the separate responsibility of the pilot/operator to comply with all NOTAMs, security or other regulatory requirements to operate at O'Hare.

Section 5. Reservation Procedures.

a. The FAA's ARO will receive and process all Reservation requests for Unscheduled Arrivals at O'Hare during the effective period, except for requests for public charter flights. Requests for Reservations for public charter flights are addressed in section 6. Reservations are allocated on a “first-come, first-served” basis determined by the time the request is received at the ARO. Standby lists are not maintained. The computer reservation system may be accessed using a touch-tone telephone, via the Internet, or by telephoning the ARO directly. Requests for Reservations will be accepted beginning 72 hours prior to the proposed time of arrival at O'Hare. For example, a request for an 11 a.m. Reservation on a Thursday will be accepted beginning at 11 a.m. on the previous Monday.

b. A maximum of two transactions per telephone call/Internet session will be accepted.

c. The ARO will allocate Reservations on a 30-minute basis. Reservation periods are half-hourly from the top and bottom of the hour (00 through 29 and 30 through 59) regardless of the arrival time within the period. For example, a 1920 arrival uses a 1900–1929 Reservation.

d. An Arrival Reservation does not ensure against traffic delays, nor does it guarantee arrival within the allocated time period. Aircraft specifically delayed by ATC traffic management initiatives are not required to obtain a new Reservation based on the revised arrival time.

e. Operators must check current NOTAMs in effect for the airport. A reservation from e-CVRS does not constitute permission to operate if additional operational limits or procedures are required by NOTAM and/or regulation.

f. The filing of a request for a Reservation does not constitute the filing of an IFR flight plan as required by regulation. The IFR flight plan must be filed only after the Reservation is obtained, and must be filed in accordance with FAA regulations and procedures. The ARO does not accept or process flight plans.

g. Operators may obtain Reservations by (1) accessing the Internet; (2) calling the ARO's interactive computer system via touch-tone telephone; or (3) calling the ARO directly. The telephone number for the e-CVRS computer is 1–800–875–9694. This toll free number is valid for calls originating within the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Operators outside those areas may access e-CVRS by calling the toll number of (703) 707–0568. The Internet Web address for accessing e-CVRS is http://www.fly.faa.gov/ecvrs. Operators may contact the ARO at (703) 904–4452 if they have a technical problem making a Reservation using the automated interfaces, if they have a question concerning the procedures, or if they wish to make a telephone Reservation from outside the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean.

h. When filing a request for an Arrival Reservation at O'Hare, the operator must provide the following information:

(1) Date(s) and hour(s) (UTC) of the proposed arrival(s).

(2) Aircraft call sign, flight identification, or tail/registration number. Operators using a 3-letter identifier and flight number for air traffic control (ATC) communication must obtain a reservation using that same information. Operators communicating with ATC using an aircraft tail number or other flight identification must obtain a reservation using that information.

(3) Aircraft type identifier.

(4) Departure airport (3 or 4-letter identifier) immediately prior to arriving at O'Hare.

Should the requested time not be available, the closest available time before and after the requested time will be offered.

i. Changes must be made to an e-CVRS Reservation using the telephone interface, the Internet web interface, or by calling the ARO before the time of the allocated Arrival Reservation at O'Hare.

j. The operator must cancel the Reservation if it will not be used. Cancellations must be made through e-CVRS as soon as practical using the telephone interface, the Internet web interface, or by calling the ARO in order to release the Arrival Reservation for reallocation.

k. The following information is needed to change or cancel a Reservation:

(1) Aircraft 3-letter identifier and flight number or registration/tail number used to make the original reservation.

(2) Date and Time (UTC) of Reservation.

(3) Reservation number.

Section 6. Special Procedures for Public Charter Arrivals.

a. One Arrival Reservation in each hour will be available for allocation to Public Charter operations prior to the adopted 72-hour Reservation window in section 5.

b. The Public Charter Operator may request an Arrival Reservation up to six months from the date of the flight operation. Reservations should be submitted to Federal Aviation Administration, Slot Administration Office, AGC–220, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Submissions may be made by facsimile to (202) 267–7277 or by e-mail to 7-AWA-slotadmin@faa.gov.

c. The Public Charter Operator must certify that its prospectus has been accepted by the Department of Transportation in accordance with 14 CFR part 380.

d. The Public Charter Operator must identify the call sign/flight number or aircraft registration number of the direct air carrier, the date and time of the proposed arrival(s), origin airport immediately prior to O'Hare, and aircraft type. Any changes to an approved Reservation must be approved in advance by the Slot Administration Office.

e. If Arrival Reservations under paragraph (a) above have been allocated and are unavailable, the public charter operator may request Reservations under section 5.

Section. 7. Additional Reservations.

a. Notwithstanding the restrictions in section 1, if the Air Traffic Organization determines that ATC weather and capacity conditions are favorable and significant delay is not likely, the FAA may determine that additional Reservations may be accommodated for a specific time period. Generally, the availability of additional Reservations will not be determined more than 8 hours in advance. Unused Arrival Reservations allocated for scheduled operations may also be made available for Unscheduled Arrivals. If available, additional Reservations will be added to e-CVRS and granted on a first-come, first-served basis using the procedures described in section 5 of this SFAR. Reservations for additional arrival operations are not granted by the local ATC facility and must be obtained through e-CVRS or the ARO.

b. An operator who has been unable to obtain a Reservation at the beginning of the 72-hour window may find that a Reservation may be available on the scheduled date of operation due to additional Reservations or cancellations.

c. ATC will accommodate declared emergencies without regard to Reservations. Non-emergency flights in support of national security, law enforcement, military aircraft operations or public-use aircraft operations may be accommodated above the Reservation limits with the prior approval of the Vice President, System Operations Services, Air Traffic Organization. Procedures for obtaining the appropriate waiver will be included on the Internet at the e-CVS Web site at http://www.fly.faa.gov/ecvrs.

Section 8. Making Arrival Reservations Using e-CVRS.

a. Telephone users. When using a touch-tone telephone to make a Reservation, you are prompted for a response. All input is accomplished using the keypad on the telephone. One issue with a touch-tone telephone entry is that most keys have a letter and number associated with them. When the system asks for a date or time, it is expecting an input of numbers. A problem arises when entering a tail number, or 3-letter identifier. The system does not detect if you are entering a letter (alpha character) or a number. Therefore, when entering an aircraft identifier and flight number or aircraft registration/tail number, two keys are used to represent each letter or number. When entering a number, precede the number you wish by the number 0 (zero) i.e., 01, 02, 03, 04,  *  *  * If you wish to enter a letter, first press the key on which the letter appears and then press 1, 2, or 3, depending upon whether the letter you desire is the first, second, or third letter on that key. For example to enter the letter “N,” first press the “6” key because “N” is on that key, then press the “2” key because the letter “N” is the second letter on the “6” key. Since there are no keys for the letters “Q” and “Z,” e-CVRS pretends they are on the number “1” key. Therefore, to enter the letter “Q,” press 11, and to enter the letter “Z,” press 12.

Note: The “N” character must be entered along with an aircraft tail number (see Table 1). Operators using a 3-letter identifier and flight number to communicate with ATC facilities must enter that same information when making a Reservation.

b. Additional helpful key entries:

(See Table 2).

c. Internet Web Based Interface. The e-CVRS reservation system includes a Web-based interface. The Internet option provides a fast, user-friendly environment for making Reservations. The Internet address is http://www.fly.faa.gov/ecvrs. Flight information may be added or edited using e-CVRS after the reservation is initially obtained.

All users of e-CVRS must complete a one-time registration form containing the following information: full name; e-mail address; a personal password; password confirmation; and company affiliation (optional). Your e-mail and password are required each time you login to use e-CVRS. Instructions are provided on each page to guide you through the reservation process. If you need help at any time, you can access page-specific help by clicking the question mark “?” located in the upper right corner of the page.

Section 9. Expiration. This Special Federal Aviation Regulation expires at 9 p.m., Central Time, on October 31, 2010 unless sooner terminated.

[70 FR 39620, July 8, 2005]

Effective Date Note:   By Doc. No. FAA–2004–19411, 70 FR 39620, July 8, 2005, SFAR No. 105 was added, and amended by revising section 9 at 70 FR 66255, Nov. 2, 2005, effective Aug. 8, 2005 until Mar. 31, 2006. At 71 FR 16219, Mar. 31, 2006, section 9 was revised and the effective date was extended from Mar. 31, 2006, until Oct. 28, 2006. By Doc. No. FAA–2005–19411, 71 FR 64113, Nov. 1, 2006, filed in the Office of the Federal Register on Oct. 27, 2006, section 9 was revised and the effective date of SFAR No. 105 was extended through Oct. 31, 2008. By Amdt. 93–89, 73 FR 64517, Oct. 30, 2008, section 9 was revised and the effective date was extended through Oct. 31, 2010.

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