[Federal Register: September 9, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 174)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 47394-47399] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09se97-15] [[Page 47394]] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTAL SERVICE 39 CFR part 20 International Surface Air Lift Service; Proposed Changes AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Proposed rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Postal Service proposes to change the postage rates and conditions of service for International Surface Air Lift Service (ISAL). In addition to adjusting rates, the Postal Service proposes to establish a minimum weight for direct country sacks, establish separate direct shipment rates, implement new sortation requirements, and impose a maximum on the amount of unsorted mail contained in an ISAL mailing. There will no longer be a restricted number of acceptance offices. ISAL mailings may be deposited at any post office where bulk mail is accepted. DATES: Comments on the proposed changes must be received on or before October 9, 1997. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be directed to the Manager, International Pricing, Costing, and Classification, Room 370-IBU, International Business Unit, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, DC 20260- 6500. Copies of all written comments will be available for public inspection between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, in the International Business Unit, 10th Floor, 901 D Street SW, Washington, DC. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert E. Michelson, (202) 268-5731. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) is a bulk mailing service for international shipment of publications, advertising mail, catalogs, directories, books, other printed matter, and small packets. The service is available to approximately 125 countries. To use ISAL, a mailer must send at least 50 pounds of these items at one time, presorted by country of destination. Identical piece mailings are not required to qualify. Postage for ISAL is calculated according to a rate structure including both per-piece and per-pound elements with destination countries separated into four rate groups. A discount is given to ISAL mail tendered at the Dropship ISAL Service Centers (Dropship ISC) (formerly called gateway airport mail facilities) at New York (JFK), San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, or when direct shipment (750 pounds or more to a single destination) can be arranged from the acceptance city. An additional discount is available for M-bags (printed matter to a single addressee). The Postal Service reviewed the current ISAL service and is making changes to ISAL preparation requirements that will reduce operating costs. The Postal Service also proposes rate discounts based on the place of mailing, the availability of transportation, and the volume of mail. The Postal Service believes these changes make the service available to more users at more convenient locations and still will cover the cost of providing the service with a reasonable contribution to institutional costs. The Postal Service proposed the change to ISAL as described below. Minimum Weight Currently there is no required minimum amount of mail per sack prepared by the mailer. The mailer merely places the mail for a particular country in a mail sack and labels the sack to that country. This has resulted in an unacceptable number of sacks containing small amounts of mail. In some cases the sack itself weighed more than the mail in the sack. This resulted in an excessive number of sacks, higher transportation costs, and complaints from other postal administrations. Therefore, the Postal Service proposes a minimum weight of 11 pounds (5 kilograms) for direct country sacks prepared by mailers. When there is less than 11 pounds but 10 or more pieces (a package) the mailer will prepare this mail in a mixed country package rate group sack. This mail will be entitled to the ISAL rate as if it had been placed in the direct country sack. Generally, when there are less than 10 pieces to a country, this mail will be prepared in ``residual'' sacks by rate group. Residual mail cannot exceed 10%, by weight, of the rest of the mailing. Acceptance Cities Since the inception of ISAL, the Postal Service has limited the number of cities where ISAL mailings could be deposited. This was intended to reduce the cost of maintaining an extensive transportation network, but many customers not located near an acceptance point could not use ISAL. The Postal Service proposes a Full Service rate that will be available from all post offices where bulk mail is accepted and will make ISAL accessible to all customers. Mailers may still mail at the lower Dropship ISC Rate by tendering their mail to a Dropship ISC. Volume Discount The Postal Service proposes discounts based on the amount of postage spent by a mailer in the preceding postal fiscal year. For example, a mailer spending $2 million or more for ISAL during postal fiscal year 1996 (September 16, 1995--September 13, 1996) will receive a 5 percent discount on ISAL mailings made during the next fiscal year, 1997 (September 14, 1996--September 12, 1997). Mailers spending over $5 million receive a 10 percent discount and a 15% discount for over $10 million. These discounts apply to Full Service, Direct Shipment, and Dropship ISC Rates. The discount is calculated on the mailing statement. Direct Shipment Rates Direct Shipment rates are still available for mailers tendering 750 pounds or more to one country at any office from which the Postal Service can obtain direct transportation to the destination country. However, a new rate schedule has been developed for this service to reflect current costs. Although the Postal Service is exempted by 39 U.S.C. 410(a) from the advance notice requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act regarding proposed rulemaking (5 U.S.C. 553), the Postal Service invites public comment at the above address. The Postal Service proposes to amend part 246 of the International Mail Manual, which is incorporated by reference in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR 20.1. List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 20 Foreign relations, Incorporation by reference, International postal services. PART 20--[AMENDED] 1. The authority citation for 39 CFR Part 20 continues to read as follows: Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 401, 407, 408. 2. The International Mail Manual will be amended to incorporate part 246, International Surface Air Lift Service as follows: 246 International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Service 246.1 Definition International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) is a bulk mailing system that provides fast, economical international delivery of publications, advertising mail, catalogs, directories, books, other printed matter, and small packets. The cost is lower than airmail and the service is faster than surface mail. ISAL shipments are flown to the foreign destinations and entered into that country's surface or non-priority mail system for delivery. [[Page 47395]] 246.2 Qualifying Mail and Minimum Quantity Requirements Only printed matter as defined in 241 and small packets as defined in 260 that meet all applicable mailing standards may be sent in this service. There is a minimum volume requirement of 50 pounds per mailing except for the Direct Shipment option, which requires a minimum 750 pounds to a single country destination. Small packets may not be enclosed in M-bags and do not qualify for the Full Service, Direct Shipment, or Dropship ISC M-bag Rates. Mail is prepared as (1) direct country sacks when there are 11 pounds or more to a single country or required country separation; (2) mixed country package sacks when there are 10 or more pieces to a single country, but less than 11 pounds; and (3) residual mail when there is less than 10 pieces to a single country. Residual mail not exceeding 10%, by weight, of the mail presented in direct country sacks and mixed country package sacks qualifies for the appropriate ISAL rate (Full Service, Direct Shipment, or Dropship ISC). 246.3 Service Options 246.31 Availability ISAL service is available to the foreign countries listed in exhibit 246.71 from all post offices where bulk mail is accepted and from the Dropship ISCs listed in 246.32. 246.32 Dropship ISAL International Service Centers ISAL deposited at the following Dropship ISAL International Services Centers qualify for the Dropship ISC rates shown in 246.71: AMC JFK BUILDING 250, JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, JAMAICA NY 11430-9998 SAN FRANCISCO P&DC, 1300 EVANS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94188 AMC SAN FRANCISCO*, BLDG 660 RD 6, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94158-9998 MIAMI P&DC, 2200 NORTHWEST 72 AVE, MIAMI FL 33152 AMC MIAMI*, MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MIAMI FL 33159-9998 CHICAGO O'HARE DROPSHIP ISAL SERVICE CENTER, INTERNATIONAL PROCESSING CENTER ANNEX, 3333 N MOUNT PROSPECT RD, FRANKLIN PARK IL 60131. * Plant verified mail is taken directly to these facilities by the mailer. 246.4 Special Services The special services described in Chapter 3 are not available for items sent by ISAL. 246.5 Customs Documentation See 244.6 and 264.5 for the requirements for customs forms. 246.6 Permits Mailers depositing mail at a Dropship ISC must maintain an advance deposit account at that city if postage is paid by advance deposit account. 246.7 Postage 246.71 Rates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Full service per lb. Direct shipment per lb. Dropship ISC per lb. Rate group Per piece ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regular M-bag * Regular M-bag * Regular M-bag * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1............................................................ $.25 $3.10 $2.50 $2.35 $1.75 $2.10 $1.50 2............................................................ .10 4.10 2.70 3.35 1.95 3.10 1.70 3............................................................ .10 3.95 3.00 3.20 2.25 2.95 2.00 4............................................................ .10 6.25 4.25 5.50 3.50 5.25 3.25 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Small packets may not be mailed at these rates. See exhibit 246.71 for network countries and individual rates. 246.711 Full Service Rates ISAL mailings presented at any post office which accepts bulk mail, other than a Dropship ISC listed in 246.32, and not eligible for the direct shipment rate are paid at the Full Service rates. Postage for regular ISAL is paid on a per piece and a per pound basis. M-bags are subject to the M-bag pound rate only. Small packets are ineligible for the M-bag rates and may not be included in M-bags. 246.712 Direct Shipment Rates Mailers are eligible for the direct shipment rates from the acceptance post office (except Dropship ISCs) when the Postal Service is able to arrange direct transportation from the origin office to the destination country. To qualify, mailers must present a minimum of 750 pounds to each destination country. Mailers must contact the post office of mailing at least 14 days before the first desired mailing date. A postal employee must complete PS Form 3655 and fax it to the distribution network office (DNO) to obtain a contract for transportation. If the DNO cannot arrange direct transportation, the direct shipment rate does not apply. The Postal Service may cancel direct shipment rates and service when direct transportation is no longer available. 246.713 Dropship ISC Rates ISAL mailings transported by the mailer to the Dropship ISC's listed in 246.32 are eligible for the Dropship ISC rate. 246.714 Volume Discount Mailers who spend $2 million or more on ISAL in the preceding postal fiscal year may receive discounts off the rates shown in 246.71, as follows: a. $2 million to $5 million: 5% discount b. over $5 million to $10 million: 10% discount c. over $10 million: 15% discount Mailers entitled to these discounts must place the full per piece rate on each piece of mail if payment is by postage meter or mailer- precanceled stamps. The discount is calculated on the statement of mailing. Exhibit 246.71.--International Surface Air Lift Service Network Countries and Rates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Country City Code Rate group ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Albania.................................. Tirana...................... TIA 1 Algeria.................................. Algiers..................... ALG 4 Angola................................... Luanda...................... LAD 4 Argentina................................ Buenos Aires................ BUE 2 [[Page 47396]] Aruba.................................... Oranjestad.................. AUA 2 Australia................................ Sydney...................... SYD 3 Austria.................................. Vienna...................... VIE 1 Bahrain.................................. Bahrain..................... BAH 4 Bangladesh............................... Dhaka....................... DAC 4 Belgium.................................. Brussels.................... BRU 1 Belize................................... Belize City................. BZE 2 Benin.................................... Cotonou..................... COO 4 Bolivia.................................. La Paz...................... LPB 2 Brazil................................... Rio de Janeiro.............. RIO 2 Bulgaria................................. Sofia....................... SOF 1 Burkina Faso............................. Ouagadougou................. OUA 4 Burundi \1\.............................. Bujumbara................... BJM 4 Cameroon................................. Douala...................... DLA 4 Central African Republic................. Bangui...................... BGF 4 Chile.................................... Santiago.................... SCL 2 China.................................... Beijing (Peking)............ PEK 3 Colombia................................. Bogota...................... BOG 2 Congo, Dem. Rep. of...................... Kinshasa.................... FIH 4 Congo, Rep. of \1\....................... Brazzaville................. BZV 4 Costa Rica............................... San Jose.................... SJO 2 Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory).................... Abidjan..................... ABJ 4 Cuba..................................... Havana...................... HAV 2 Czech Republic........................... Prague...................... PRG 1 Denmark.................................. Copenhagen.................. CPH 1 Dominican Republic....................... Santo Domingo............... SDQ 2 Ecuador.................................. Guayaquil................... GYE 2 Egypt.................................... Cairo....................... CAI 4 El Salvador.............................. San Salvador................ SAL 2 Ethiopia................................. Addis Ababa................. ADD 4 Fiji..................................... Nadi........................ NAN 3 Finland.................................. Helsinki.................... HEL 1 France................................... Paris....................... PAR 1 French Guiana............................ Cayenne..................... CAY 2 Gabon.................................... Libreville.................. LBV 4 Germany.................................. Frankfurt................... FRA 1 Ghana.................................... Accra....................... ACC 4 Great Britain............................ London...................... LON 1 Greece................................... Athens...................... ATH 1 Guatemala................................ Guatemala City.............. GUA 2 Guyana................................... Georgetown.................. GEO 2 Haiti.................................... Port-au-Prince.............. PAP 2 Honduras................................. Tegucigalpa................. TGU 2 Hong Kong................................ Hong Kong................... HKG 3 Hungary.................................. Budapest.................... BUD 1 Iceland.................................. Reykjavik................... REK 1 India.................................... Mumbai...................... BOM 4 Indonesia................................ Jakarta..................... JKT 3 Iran..................................... Tehran...................... THR 4 Ireland.................................. Dublin...................... DUB 1 Israel................................... Tel Aviv.................... TLV 4 Italy.................................... Rome........................ ROM 1 Jamaica.................................. Kingston.................... KIN 2 Japan \2\................................ Tokyo....................... TYO 3 Japan \2\................................ Osaka....................... OSA 3 Jordan................................... Amman....................... AMM 4 Kenya.................................... Nairobi..................... NBO 4 Korea, Rep. of (South)................... Seoul....................... SEL 3 Kuwait................................... Kuwait City................. KWI 4 Lebanon.................................. Beirut...................... BEY 4 Liechtenstein............................ Basel....................... BSL 1 Luxembourg............................... Luxembourg.................. LUX 1 Madagascar............................... Antananariva................ TNR 4 Malaysia................................. Kuala Lumpur................ KUL 3 Mali..................................... Bamako...................... BKO 4 Mauritania............................... Nouakchott.................. NKC 4 Mauritius................................ Port Louis.................. MRU 4 Mexico................................... Mexico City................. MEX 2 Morocco.................................. Casablanca.................. CAS 4 Mozambique............................... Maputo...................... MPM 4 Netherlands.............................. Amsterdam................... AMS 1 Netherlands Antilles..................... Curacao..................... CUR 2 [[Page 47397]] New Zealand.............................. Auckland.................... AKL 3 Nicaragua................................ Managua..................... MGA 2 Niger.................................... Niamey...................... NIM 4 Nigeria.................................. Lagos....................... LOS 4 Norway................................... Oslo........................ OSL 1 Oman..................................... Muscat...................... MCT 4 Pakistan................................. Karachi..................... KHI 4 Panama................................... Panama City................. PTY 2 Papua New Guinea......................... Port Moresby................ POM 3 Paraguay................................. Asuncion.................... ASU 2 Peru..................................... Lima........................ LIM 2 Philippines.............................. Manila...................... MNL 3 Poland................................... Warsaw...................... WAW 1 Portugal................................. Lisbon...................... LIS 1 Qatar.................................... Doha........................ DOH 4 Reunion Island........................... St Denis.................... RUN 4 Romania.................................. Bucharest................... BUH 1 Russia................................... Moscow...................... MOW 1 San Marino............................... Rome........................ ROM 1 Saudi Arabia............................. Dhahran..................... DHA 4 Senegal.................................. Dakar....................... DKR 4 Serbia-Montenegro \1\.................... Belgrade.................... BEG 1 Sierra Leone \1\......................... Freetown.................... FNA 4 Singapore................................ Singapore................... SIN 3 Somalia \1\.............................. Mogadishu................... MEQ 4 South Africa............................. Johannesburg................ JNB 4 Spain \3\................................ Madrid...................... MAD 1 Sri Lanka................................ Colombo..................... CMB 4 Sudan.................................... Khartoum.................... KRT 4 Suriname................................. Paramaribo.................. PBM 2 Sweden................................... Stockholm................... STO 1 Switzerland.............................. Basel....................... BSL 1 Syria.................................... Damascus.................... DAM 4 Taiwan................................... Taipei...................... TPE 3 Tanzania................................. Dar es Salaam............... DAR 4 Thailand................................. Bangkok..................... BKK 3 Togo..................................... Lome........................ LFW 4 Trinidad and Tobago...................... Port of Spain............... POS 2 Tunisia.................................. Tunis....................... TUN 4 Turkey................................... Istanbul.................... IST 1 Uganda................................... Kampala..................... KLA 4 United Arab Emirates..................... Dubai....................... DXB 4 Uruguay.................................. Montevideo.................. MVD 2 Venezuela................................ Caracas..................... CCS 2 Yemen.................................... Sanaa....................... SAH 4 Zambia................................... Ndola....................... NLA 4 Zimbabwe................................. Harare...................... HRE 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: \1\ Service currently suspended. \2\ To expedite service, Japan Post has requested that ISAL shipments to Japan be separated by two destination delivery zones as follow: Osaka (OSA) for postal codes 52-79, 91, and Tokyo (TYO) for all other postal codes. \3\ Including the Canary Islands. 246.72 Payment Methods 246.721 Postage Meter, Permit Imprint, or Precanceled Stamps Postage must be paid by postage meter, permit imprint, or mailer- precanceled stamps. Postage is computed on PS Form 3650, Statement of Mailing--International Surface Air Lift. PS Form 3650 is required for all ISAL mailings. 246.722 Piece Rate The applicable per piece postage must be affixed to each piece (except M-bags, see 246.723) by meter or mailer-precanceled stamps, unless postage is paid by permit imprint. Mailers may use a permit imprint only with identical weight pieces unless authorized under the postage mailing systems in DMM P710, P720, or P730. Any of the permit imprints for printed matter shown in exhibit 152.3 are acceptable. 246.723 Pound Rate Postage for the pound rate portion must be paid either by meter stamp(s) attached to the finance copy of the mailing statement or from the mailer's advance deposit account. 246.8 Weight and Size Limits Any item sent by ISAL must conform to the weight and size limits for the types of printed matter described in 243 or for small packets in 263. 246.9 Preparation Requirements 246.91 Addressing See 122. 246.92 Marking Items must be endorsed with the appropriate markings as shown in 244.2 for printed matter and in 264.2 for small packets. For publishers' periodicals [[Page 47398]] (Periodicals Mail), the imprint authorized under 244.211c(2) or 244.211c(3) may be used in place of the ``PRINTED MATTER--`` PERIODICALS'' endorsement. Individual items paid by meter postage or mailer-precanceled stamps must be endorsed ``International Surface Air Lift'' or ``ISAL.'' 246.93 Sealing and Packaging Printed matter must be prepared to protect the contents and permit easy inspection. If not contained in envelopes or wrappers, folded items must have the open edges secured by tape, tabs, or wafer seals of sufficient quantity and strength to keep the items from opening during postal handling. 246.94 Makeup Requirements for ISAL 246.941 Packaging All ISAL mail must be prepared in packages within sacks as appropriate. Packages and sacks must be prepared and labeled as described below. All mail pieces in a package must be ``faced'' in the same direction (i.e., arranged so that the addresses read in the same direction, with an address visible on the top piece). Pieces that cannot be bundled because of their physical characteristics may be placed loose in the sack. Packages of letter-size mail should be no thicker than approximately a handful of mail (4 to 6 inches). Packages of flat-size mail may be thicker than 6 inches but should not weigh more than 20 pounds. Each package must be securely tied. Placing rubber bands around the length and then the girth is the preferred method of securing packages of letter-size mail. Plastic strapping placed around the length and then the girth is the preferred method of securing packages of flat-size mail. a. Direct Country Packages. When there are 10 or more pieces to the same country, such pieces must be prepared as a direct country package. If there are less than 11 pounds of mail to the same country, then the direct country package must be labeled with a facing slip showing the destination country or country separation. The facing slip must be placed on the address side of the top piece of each package in such a manner that it will not become separated from the package. (The pressure-sensitive labels and optional endorsement lines used domestically for presort mail are prohibited for International Surface Airlift Mail.) b. Residual Packages. If there is not enough mail to prepare a direct country package (less than 10 pieces), the mail is considered residual mail. When there are less than 10 pieces to the same country, then such pieces should be combined in packages with other mail for countries within the same rate group that similarly have fewer than 10 pieces. Such mixed country packages must be labeled with a facing slip marked ``Residual--Rate Group ______''. The designated rate group (1,2,3, or 4) must be inserted as appropriate. The facing slip must be placed on the address side of the top piece of each package in such a manner that it will not become separated from the package. The pressure-sensitive labels and optional endorsement lines used domestically for presort mail are prohibited for International Surface Airlift Mail. Exception: When there are fewer than 10 pieces to the same country which combined weigh more than 11 pounds, the pieces should be packaged together as a direct country package and placed in a direct country sack. This mail is not considered ``residual.'' Pieces that cannot be bundled because of their physical characteristics may be placed loose in the sack. Sacking. Once packages of ISAL mail are prepared, the packages are then placed into one of three types of designated sacks as follows: a. Direct Country Sack. Prepare a direct country sack if there are at least 11 pounds of mail to the same country. The mail must be packaged and enclosed in a gray plastic ISAL sack and labeled to the country with Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail. The maximum weight of a direct country sack must not exceed 66 pounds. b. Mixed Country Package Sack. Prepare a mixed country package sack for direct country packages where there is less than 11 pounds of mail to the same country. The mail must be packaged as direct country packages, identified with a facing slip showing the destination country or country separation, and enclosed in a green pouch appropriately labeled to the dropship ISAL service center. Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail, must also be attached to the sack. Prepare a mixed country package sack for each of the respective rate groups for which there is a direct country package and label as follows: Rate group 1--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate group 2--AMC Miami 33159 Rate group 3--AMC San Francisco 941 Rate group 4--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 c. Residual Sack. Prepare a residual sack for those packages of mail that contain less than 10 pieces to any one country (residual packages). The mail must be packaged as residual packages, appropriately identified with a facing slip, and enclosed in a green pouch appropriately labeled to the dropship ISAL service center. Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail, must also be attached to the sack. You must prepare a residual sack for each of the respective rate groups for which there is a residual package and label it as follows: Rate group 1--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate group 2--AMC Miami 33159 Rate group 3--AMC San Francisco 941 Rate group 4--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 246.943 Sack Labeling a. Direct Country Sack. For a direct country sack, use a gray plastic ISAL sack. Use Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail, to label each sack with the destination country's name. Mailers must complete four blocks on Tag 155: 1. To (Pour) Block: enter the name of the ISAL country foreign exchange office, its three-letter exchange office code, and the country's name. See Exhibit A for the name of the foreign exchange office and its three-letter exchange office code. As an example, for Japan, this block will be one of two options, as follows: Osaka OAS Japan (for postal codes 52-79 and 91) Tokyo TYO Japan (for all other postal codes) 2. Customer Permit No. Block: Enter your 10-digit ISAL permit or customer identification number. 3. Kg. Block: Enter the combined weight of the sack and its contents in kilograms (1 pound = 0.4536 kilogram). 4. Date Block: Enter date as shown on PS Form 3650, Statement of Mailing--International Surface Air Lift. After completing the above items on Tag 155, attach it to the neck of the sack. b. Mixed Country Package Sack. For a mixed country package sack, use a domestic green nylon pouch and label it to the appropriate dropship ISAL service center as follows: Rate group 1--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate group 2--AMC Miami 33159 Rate group 3--AMC San Francisco 941 Rate group 4--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Labels are prepared as follows: Content: Line 1: Dropship ISAL Service Center Line 2: ISAL DRX Line 3: Mailer, Mailer Location Example: AMC KENNEDY--JFK 003 ISAL DRX ABC COMPANY, NEW YORK, NY For the mixed country package sack label, use Content Identification Number (CIN) 753. In addition, use Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail, to label each sack with the [[Page 47399]] appropriate dropship ISAL service center. Mailers must complete four blocks on Tag 155: To (Pour) Block: enter the name of the dropship ISAL service center and rate group: AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate Group 1 AMC Miami 33159 Rate Group 2 AMC San Francisco 941 Rate Group 3 AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate Group 4 2. Customer Permit No. Block: Enter your 10-digit ISAL permit or customer identification number. 3. Kg. Block: Enter the combined weight of the sack and its contents in kilograms (1 pound = 0.4536 kilogram). 4. Date Block: Enter date as shown on PS Form 3650, Statement of Mailing--International Surface Air Lift. After completing the above items on Tag 155, attach it to the sack. Residual Sack. For a residual sack, use a domestic green nylon pouch and label it to the appropriate dropship ISAL service center as follows: Rate group 1--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate group 2--AMC Miami 33159 Rate group 3--AMC San Francisco 941 Rate group 4--AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Labels are prepared as follows: Content: Line 1: Dropship ISAL Service Center Line 2: ISAL WKG Line 3: Mailer, Mailer Location Example: AMC KENNEDY--JFK 003 ISAL WKG ABC COMPANY, NEW YORK, NY For the residual sack label, use Content Identification Number (CIN) 754. In addition, use Tag 155, Surface Airlift Mail, to label each sack with the appropriate dropship ISAL service center. Mailers must complete three blocks on Tag 155: To (Pour) Block: enter the name of the dropship ISAL service center and rate group: AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate Group 1 AMC Miami 33159 Rate Group 2 AMC San Francisco 941 Rate Group 3 AMC Kennedy--JFK 003 Rate Group 4 2. Customer Permit No. Block: Enter your 10-digit ISAL permit or customer identification number. 3. Kg. Block: Enter the combined weight of the sack and its contents in kilograms (1 pound = 0.4536 kilogram). 4. Date Block: Enter date as shown on PS Form 3650, Statement of Mailing--International Surface Air Lift. After completing the above items on Tag 155, attach it to the sack. 246.944 Sack Separation When presenting an ISAL shipment to the Postal Service, the mailer must physically separate the sacks of mail by type (direct, mixed, residual) and rate group (1, 2, 3, 4) at time of mailing. 246.945 Direct Sacks to One Addressee (M-bags) for ISAL M-bags may be sent in the ISAL service to all ISAL destination countries. Weight, makeup, sacking, and sorting requirements must conform to part 245. Tag 158 must show the complete address of the addressee and the sender and be attached securely to the neck of each sack in addition to Tag 155. M-bags may not contain small packets. 246.95 Mailer Notification Mailers who wish to mail shipments that weigh over 750 pounds but who are not eligible for direct shipment rates must notify the ISAL coordinator at the office of mailing at least 4 days before the planned date of mailing. Specific country information and weight per country must be provided. No prior notification is required for mailers with 750 pounds or less. Stanley F. Mires, Chief Counsel, Legislative. [FR Doc. 97-23738 Filed 9-8-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710-12-P