Introduction
This is a quick guide designed to help you use resources from the Harvard Law School Library to research legal issues surrounding the regulation of the airline industry.
If you are an affiliate of Harvard Law School, you are welcome to contact us at research@law.harvard.edu for additional help.
Regulation of the Aviation Industry: Major Players
Government Organizations
The main government organization that is responsible for regulating all modes of transportation, including air, is the US Department of Transportation (DOT) (https://www.transportation.gov/), a federal executive agency. Other agencies that are also involved in this work, some of which fall under the DOT umbrella, include the following:
- Safety of airplanes, airports, and airspace:
Federal Aviation Administration (https://www.faa.gov/)
Transportation Security Administration (https://www.tsa.gov/)
National Transportation Safety Board (https://www.ntsb.gov/) - Consumer protection for airline passengers:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division (https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer) - Environmental impact of aircraft operations:
Environmental Protection Agency (https://www.epa.gov)
Industry Organizations
Airlines for America (A4A) (http://airlines.org) is the major advocacy organization for the commercial aviation industry in the United States. It was formerly known as the Air Transport Association of America (ATA).
Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations
Federal regulations related to the airline industry can be found under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 C.F.R.) (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2004-title14-vol1). These regulations cover all aspects of the airline industry, including the airlines themselves (carriers), as well as their equipment (aircraft) and pilots (airmen). In addition, this Title includes regulations regarding airspace and air traffic.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: Selected Treatises
Below is a list of selected treatises on this topic that are available from the collections of the Harvard Library. Click the linked book title to view the book's record in the HOLLIS library catalog.
Attention All Passengers: The Airlines' Dangerous Descent -- and How to Reclaim Our Skies by ISBN: 9780062088376Publication Date: 2012
Clipped Wings: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Airline Industry by ISBN: 9781472477736Publication Date: 2016
From Lowlands to High Skies: a Multilevel Jurisdictional Approach Towards Air Law by ISBN: 9789004260634Publication Date: 2013
Full Upright and Locked Position: Not-So-Comfortable Truths About Air Travel Today by ISBN: 9780393081107Publication Date: 2013
International Air Carrier Liability: Safety and Security by ISBN: 9781138200494Publication Date: 2016
Managing the Skies: Public Policy, Organization, and Financing of Air Traffic Management by ISBN: 9780754670452Publication Date: 2007
The Principles and Practice of International Aviation Law by ISBN: 9781107020528Publication Date: 2014
Progressive Commercialization of Airline Governance Culture by ISBN: 9781138654990Publication Date: 2016
The Routledge Companion to Air Transport Management by ISBN: 9781138641372Publication Date: 2018Note: This book is not available in the Harvard Library collections. Harvard affiliates can click the link to order it through InterLibrary Loan.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: HOLLIS Searches
Book records in the HOLLIS library catalog generally include one or more Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) (https://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/subject/). The LCSH system features a controlled, hierarchical vocabulary of subject-specific keywords.
The links below are to pre-populated searches of the HOLLIS catalog by LCSH keyword. Click a link to view its search results.
Note: In HOLLIS, you can limit a search results list, such as by type of resource, date, or holding library, by using the filtering options on the right side of the screen.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: Book Series
Publishers sometimes publish a series of books on a single topic. The Harvard Library collections include some book series that are related to aviation law, and the links below are to pre-populated HOLLIS searches by book series title.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: Getting the Deal Through
- Getting the Deal Through: Air TransportGetting the Deal Through is a subscription database that provides information about applicable law in several business-related practice areas for multiple jurisdictions. To find the section on Air Transport, select Work Areas and type "Air Transport" on the following page.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: Lexis
The links below are to sources related to this topic that are available in the LexisAdvance subscription legal research database.
Researching Aviation Law Topics: Westlaw
The links below are to sources related to this topic that are available in the Westlaw subscription legal research database.
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978: Selected Research Resources
- Airline Deregulation: Changes in Airfares, Service, and Safety at Small, Medium-Sized, and Large CommunitiesGovernment Accountability Office (GAO) report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, April 1996.
- HeinOnline - Legislative History of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978Source: HeinOnline subscription database.
- ProQuest Legislative Insight - Legislative History of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978Materials from the ProQuest Legislative Insight subscription database. Includes regulatory history, Supreme Court case history, bills, and Congressional materials (reports, hearings, and other documents). Many of these materials are provided as searchable full-text PDFs.
- Public Law 95-504 - October 24, 1978Full text of the Act from the Government Printing Office (GPO).