(a) Nondisclosure of information. As a condition to participation, every participant, during the period of the conference and for ninety (90) days after its termination, or until the Department takes public action with respect to the facts and issues covered in the conference, whichever is earlier:

(1) Shall, except for necessary disclosures in the course of employment in connection with conference business, hold the information obtained in conference in absolute confidence and trust;

(2) Shall not deal, directly or indirectly, for the account of himself or herself, his or her immediate family, members of his or her firm or company, or as a trustee, in securities of the air carrier involved in the rate conference except that under exceptional circumstances special permission may be obtained in advance from the DOT decisionmaker; and

(3) Shall adopt effective controls for the confidential handling of such information and shall instruct personnel under his or her supervision, who by reason of their employment come into possession of information obtained at the conference, that such information is confidential and must not be disclosed to anyone except to the extent absolutely necessary in the course of employment, and must not be misused. (The term “information”, as used in this section, shall refer only to information obtained at the conference regarding the future course of action or position of the Department or its employees with respect to the facts or issues discussed at the conference.)

(b) Signed statement required. Every representative of an air carrier actually present at any conference shall sign a statement that he or she has read this entire instruction and promises to abide by it and advise any other participant to whom he or she discloses any confidential information of the restrictions imposed above. Every representative of the U.S. Postal Service actually present at any conference shall, on his or her own behalf, sign a statement to the same effect.

(c) Presumption of having conference information. A director of any air carrier that has had a representative at the conference, who deals either directly or indirectly for himself or herself, his or her immediate family, members of his or her firm or company, or as a trustee, in securities of the air carrier involved in the conference, during the restricted period set forth above, shall be presumed to have come into possession of information obtained at the conference knowing that such information was subject to the restrictions imposed above; but such presumption can be rebutted.

(d) Compliance report required. Within ten (10) days after the expiration of the time specified for keeping conference matters confidential, every participant, as defined in paragraph (e) of this section, shall file a verified compliance report with Department of Transportation Dockets stating that he or she has complied in every respect with the conditions of this section, or if he or she has not so complied, stating in detail in what respects he or she has failed to comply.

(e) Persons subject to the provisions of this section. For the purposes of this section, participants shall include:

(1) Any representative of any air carrier and any representative of the U.S. Postal Service actually present at the conference;

(2) The directors and the officers of any air carrier that had a representative at the conference;

(3) The members of any firm of attorneys or consultants that had a representative at the conference; and

(4) The members of the U.S. Postal Service staff who come into possession of information obtained at the conference, knowing that such information is subject to the restrictions imposed in this section.