14 C.F.R. § 11 – Functional Classification—Operating Expenses of Group II and Group III Air Carriers

5100 Flying Operations.

(a) This function shall include expenses incurred directly in the in-flight operation of aircraft and expenses attaching to the holding of aircraft and aircraft operational personnel in readiness for assignment to an in-flight status.
(b) This function shall not include expenses incurred in repairing, servicing or storing aircraft, expenses incurred on the ground in protecting and controlling the in-flight movement of aircraft, or compensation of ground personnel and other expenses incurred in scheduling or preparing aircraft or aircraft operational personnel for flight assignment. Such expenses shall be included in function 5400 Maintenance, or function 6400 Aircraft and Traffic Servicing.
5400 Maintenance.
(a) This function shall include all expenses, both direct and indirect, incurred in the repair and upkeep of property and equipment as may be required to meet operating and safety standards; in inspecting or checking property and equipment in accordance with prescribed operational standards; and in polishing or cleaning property and equipment when such polishing or cleaning is not an incidental routine in connection with the normal productive use of property and equipment.
(b) This function shall include the cost of direct labor, materials, and outside services and maintenance overhead or other costs associated with maintenance operations regardless of the location at which incurred.
(c) This function shall not include costs incurred in the construction, improvement, or modification of property and equipment even when necessitated to meet new or changed operating or safety standards. Such costs shall be charged to appropriate property and equipment accounts.
(d) Costs incurred by aircraft handling personnel in visual inspection, minor check and servicing of aircraft, while in line service, shall not be included in this function when performed as an incidental routine during the normal productive use of aircraft but shall be included in function 6400 Aircraft and Tariff Servicing.
(e) Both Group II air carriers and Group III air carriers shall maintain the following subfunctions:
5200 Direct Maintenance. a. This subfunction shall include the costs of labor, materials and outside services consumed directly in periodic maintenance operations and the maintenance and repair of property and equipment of all types and classes, regardless of the location at which incurred, exclusive of maintenance property and equipment included in balance sheet accounts 1630 Equipment, 1639 Improvements to Leased Buildings and Equipment, and 1640.1 Maintenance Buildings and Improvements, which shall be included in subfunction 5300 Maintenance Burden. b. The cost of direct labor, materials and supplies, as well as outside repairs, used in the maintenance and repair of property and equipment shall be recorded on running job orders or tickets covering repairs and periodic inspections except servicing. Where a number of like items are maintained on a group basis, it will be necessary to maintain only one job order for each group. c. When supervisory personnel such as crew chiefs, inspectors and foremen are engaged in direct labor in connection with equipment maintenance, a proportionate part of their salaries and wages shall be charged to the appropriate direct labor accounts. The cost of transporting property to and from shops for repair and maintenance shall be included as a part of the cost of the materials and supplies used in the repair or maintenance of such property and equipment. Transportation charges, customs and duties, etc., shall be included in the cost of repairs and maintenance operations when made by outside parties. 5300 Maintenance Burden. a. This subfunction shall include all overhead or general expenses used directly in the activities involved in periodic maintenance operations and the maintenance and repair of property and equipment of all types and classes, including the cost of direct labor, materials and outside services used in the maintenance and repair of maintenance property and equipment included in balance sheet accounts 1630 Equipment, 1639 Improvements to Leased Buildings and Equipment, and 1640.1 Maintenance Buildings and Improvements. It shall include expenses related to the administration of maintenance stocks and stores, the keeping of pertinent maintenance operation records, and the scheduling, controlling, planning and supervision of maintenance operations. b. This subfunction shall not include expenses related to financial accounting, purchasing or other overhead activities which are of general applicability to all operating functions. Such expenses shall be included in function 6800 General and Administrative. c. This subfunction shall include only those expenses attributable to the current air transport operations of the air carrier. Maintenance burden associated with capital projects of the air carrier, other than overhauls of airframes and aircraft engines, shall be allocated to such projects. Maintenance burden incurred in common with services to other companies and operating entities shall be allocated to such services on a pro rata basis unless the services are so infrequent in performance or small in volume as to result in no appreciable demands upon the air carrier's maintenance facilities. When overhauls of airframes or aircraft engines are as a consistent practice accounted for on an accrual basis instead of being expensed directly, maintenance burden shall be allocated to such overhauls on a pro rata basis. Standard burden rates may be employed for quarterly allocations of maintenance burden provided the rates are reviewed at the close of each calendar year. When the actual burden rate for the year differs materially from the standard burden rate applied, adjustment shall be made to reflect the actual costs incurred for the full accounting year. Allocations of maintenance burden to capital projects, and service sales to others shall be made through the individual maintenance burden objective accounts, except that the air carrier may make such allocations by credits to profit and loss account 77 Uncleared Expense Credits under such circumstances in which the use of that account will not undermine the significance of the individual maintenance burden objective accounts in terms of the expense levels associated with the air carrier's air transport services. Maintenance burden allocated to overhauls shall be credited to profit and loss subaccounts 5372.1 or 5372.6 Airworthiness Allowance Provisions.
5500 Passenger Service.
This function shall include all expenses chargeable directly to activities contributing to the comfort, safety and convenience of passengers while in flight and when flights are interrupted. It shall not include expenses incurred in enplaning or deplaning passengers, or in securing and selling passenger transportation and caring for passengers prior to entering a flight status. Such expenses shall be included in functions 6400 Aircraft and Traffic Servicing and 6700 Promotion and Sales, respectively.
6400 Aircraft and Traffic Servicing.
(a) This function shall include the compensation of ground personnel and other expenses incurred on the ground incident to the protection and control of the in-flight movement of aircraft, scheduling and preparing aircraft operational crews for flight assignment, handling and servicing aircraft while in line operation, servicing and handling traffic on the ground, subsequent to the issuance of documents establishing the air carrier's responsibility to provide air transportation, and in-flight expenses of handling and protecting all nonpassenger traffic including passenger baggage.
(b) This function shall include only those aircraft servicing and cleaning expenses which are incurred as an incidental routine during the normal productive use of aircraft in line operations. It shall not include expenses incurred in the repair and maintenance of property and equipment, or in checking or inspecting property and equipment in accordance with prescribed operational standards when such activities are not an incidental routine during the normal productive use of aircraft. Such expenses shall be included in function 5400 Maintenance.
(c) This function shall not include expenses incurred in securing traffic, arranging aircraft space for traffic sold or in issuing documents confirming traffic sales and establishing the air carrier's responsibilities to provide air transportation. Such expenses shall be included in function 6700 Promotion and Sales. However, for purposes of this system of accounts, expenses attributable to the operation of airport traffic offices, excluding reservation centers, shall be included in this function. Expenses attributable to the operation of reservation or aircraft space control centers shall be included in function 6700 Promotion and Sales regardless of the location at which incurred.
(d) Group III air carriers shall further subdivide this function as follows:
6100 Aircraft Servicing. a. This subfunction shall include the compensation of ground personnel and other expenses incurred on the ground incident to the protection and control of the in-flight movement of aircraft; scheduling or preparing aircraft operational crews for flight assignment; landing and parking aircraft; visual inspection, routine checking, servicing and fueling of aircraft; and other expenses incurred on the ground incident to readying for arrival and takeoff of aircraft. 6200 Traffic Servicing. a. This subfunction shall include the compensation of ground personnel and other expenses incurred on the ground incident to handling traffic of all types and classes on the ground subsequent to the issuance of documents establishing the air carrier's responsibility to provide air transportation. Expenses attributable to the operation of airport traffic offices shall also be included in this subfunction; expenses attributable to reservations centers shall be excluded. It shall include expenses incurred in both enplaning and deplaning traffic as well as expenses incurred in preparation for enplanement and all expenses subsequent to deplanement. b. This subfunction shall also include costs incurred in handling and protecting all nonpassenger traffic while in flight. It shall not include expenses incurred in contributing to the comfort, safety and convenience of passengers while in flight or when flights are interrupted. Such expenses shall be included in function 5500 Passenger Service. 6300 Servicing Administration. a. This subfunction shall include expenses of a general nature incurred in performing supervisory or administrative activities relating solely and in common to subfunctions 6100 Aircraft Servicing and 6200 Traffic Servicing. b. This subfunction shall not include supervisory or administrative expenses which can be charged directly to subfunction 6100 Aircraft Servicing or subfunction 6200 Traffic Servicing. Nor shall this subfunction include expenses of a general administrative character and of significant amount regularly contributing to operating functions generally. Such expenses shall be included in function 6800 General and Administrative. c. The expenses in this subfunction shall be recorded separately for each geographic location at which incurred.
6700 Promotion and Sales.
(a) This function shall include expenses incurred in creating public preference for the air carrier and its services; stimulating the development of the air transport market; and promoting the air carrier or developing air transportation generally.
(b) It shall also include the compensation of personnel and other expenses incident to documenting sales; expenses incident to controlling and arranging or confirming aircraft space for traffic sold; expenses incurred in direct sales solicitation and selling of aircraft space; and expenses incurred in developing tariffs and schedules for publication.
(c) This function shall not include expenses incurred in handling traffic subsequent to the issuance of documents establishing the air carrier's responsibility to provide air transportation which shall be included in functions 5500 Passenger Service and 6400 Aircraft and Traffic Servicing. However, for purposes of this system of accounts, expenses attributable to the operation of airport traffic offices, excluding reservation centers, shall be included in function 6400 Aircraft and Traffic Servicing. Expenses attributable to the operation of reservation or aircraft space control centers shall be included in function 6700 Promotion and Sales regardless of the location at which incurred.
(d) Group III air carriers shall subdivide this function as follows:
6500 Reservations and Sales. This subfunction shall include expenses incident to direct sales solicitation, documenting sales, controlling and arranging or confirming aircraft space sold, and in developing tariffs and schedules for publication. It shall also include expenses attributable to the operation of city traffic offices. Expenses incurred in stimulating traffic and promoting the air carrier or air transportation generally shall not be included in this subfunction but in subfunction 6600 Advertising and Publicity. 6600 Advertising and Publicity. a. This subfunction shall include expenses incurred in creating public preference for the air carrier and its services; stimulating development of the air transport market; and promoting the air carrier or developing air transportation generally. b. This subfunction shall not include expenses incurred in direct sales solicitation and selling of aircraft space. Such costs shall be included in subfunction 6500 Reservations and Sales.
6800 General and Administrative.
(a) This function shall include expenses of a general corporate nature and expenses incurred in performing activities which contribute to more than a single operating function such as general financial accounting activities, purchasing activities, representation at law, and other general operational administration, which are not directly applicable to a particular function.
(b) This function shall not include expenses incurred directly in promoting traffic or in promoting relations of the air carrier generally with the public which shall be included in function 6700 Promotion and Sales. Nor shall this function include expenses, regularly applicable in large part to a specific function, which contribute only incidentally, or in small amount, to various other functions. Such expenses when of such size as will not distort the function to which predominantly related, shall be included in the specific function to which regularly related. However, expenses of a general administrative character and of significant amount regularly contributing to operating functions generally shall be included in this function.
7000 Depreciation and Amortization.
This function shall include all charges to expense to record losses suffered through current exhaustion of the serviceability of property and equipment due to wear and tear from use and the action of time and the elements, which are not replaced by current repairs, as well as losses in serviceability occasioned by obsolescence, supersession, discoveries, change in popular demand or action by public authority. It shall also include charges for the amortization of capitalized developmental and preoperating costs, leased property under capital leases, and other intangible assets applicable to the performance of air transportation. (See sections 6-1696, 1830 and 1890.)
7100 Transport-Related Expenses.
(a) This function shall include all expense items applicable to the generation of transport-related revenues included in section 9, Function 4800.
(b) Such expense related to services of a magnitude or scope beyond an incidental adjunct to air transportation services shall not be included in this function (see section 1-6(b)). Expenses applicable to the generation of such revenues shall be included in profit and loss classification 8100, Nonoperating Income and Expense-Net, and the accounting modified to conform with that of a nontransport division whether or not the service is organized as a nontransport division.
(c) This function shall also include expenses representing increases in costs incurred in common with the air transport service, to the extent such increases result from the added transport-related services, as well as a pro rata share of the costs incurred by the air carrier in operating facilities which are used jointly with others. As a general rule, this function shall not include those expenses, other than joint facilities, costs, which would remain as an essential part of the air transport services if the transport-related services were terminated.

[ER-755, 37 FR 19726, Sept. 21, 1972, as amended by ER-980, 42 FR 36, Jan. 3, 1977; ER-1401, 50 FR 244, Jan. 3, 1985; Amdt. 241-58, 54 FR 5595, Feb. 6, 1989]

[Amdt. 241-58, 54 FR 5595, Feb. 6, 1989]

[ER-841, 39 FR 11997, Apr. 2, 1974, as amended by ER-1401, 50 FR 244, Jan. 3, 1985]