The origins and development of the Civil Aeronautics Board and the economic regulation of domestic airlines, 1934-1953

Abstract

This dissertation is a history of the origins and the development of the Civil Aeronautics Board and economic regulation of domestic airlines from 1934 to 1953. Safety regulation is considered only when it is pertinent to economic regulation. The study taps previously unused archival materials: the Civil Aeronautics Board's records at the National Archives and the aeronautical materials at the Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Harry S Truman libraries. This is not a route-by-route industry study in the Keyes, Caves, or Jordan vein, but rather a history of the pivotal regulatory agency that guided the domestic airlines. Through a chronological approach, the work examines the major political and economic themes relevant to the regulatory history of the airlines: route development, competition, mergers, local service airlines, non-scheduled airlines, and air mail payments.