Opinion ID: 323057
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the board's responsibility

Text: 14 Jurisdiction of the Civil Aeronautics Board over matters of airline merger, including the fair and equitable integration of seniority lists, is well established. 13 We recognized in another context the Board's 'broad authority to approve airline mergers consistent with the public interest.' 14 If, as we hold today in the companion cases, 15 the Board is vested with exclusive jurisdiction over these matters, we must insure by our direct review 16 that that jurisdiction is exercised in a manner that vindicates the policies underlying this and other arguably pertinent statutory provisions. 17 15 Consequently, the Board is charged with the ultimate responsibility of insuring that a fair, just, and equitable solution is reached with respect to the integration of seniority lists as well as all other aspects of the merger it approves. To the extent that the Board relies upon negotiations among the parties most vitally interested, i.e., the pilots, this is recognition of a practical means to reach a result meeting the statutory standard, but delegation cannot relieve the Board of its statutorily imposed ultimate responsibility. Hence we would not hesitate to reverse if we were not satisfied that the Board had discharged this responsibility faithfully. However, on the record before us we conclude that the action below must be affirmed.