On October 24, 1978, President Carter signed into law the Airline Deregulation Act. The purpose of the law was to effectively get the federal government out of the airline business. By allowing the airlines to compete for their customers' travel dollars, was the thinking, that fares would drop and an increased number of routes would spring up.
Expected Results
The results of airline deregulation speak for themselves. Since the government got out of the airline business, not only has there been a drop in prices and an increase in routes, there has also been a remarkable increase in airline service and safety. Airline deregulation should be seen as the crowning jewel of a federal de-regulatory emphasis. Prices are down: Airline ticket prices have fallen 40% since 1978. Flights are up: The number of annual departures is up from 5 million in 1978 to 8.2 million in 1997. Flights are safer: Before deregulation, there was one fatal accident per 830,000 flights, now the rate is one per 1.4 million flights. So what's the problem?
Misplaced Priorities
It appears that the Clinton administration and some in Congress will cut off their nose to spite their face. By almost all measurable ways, airline deregulation has been a success. But in response to a few small start-up airlines complaining to the Department of Transportation about "predatory pricing," Washington legislators and regulators are poised to act. "Predatory Pricing" is code for: "fares are too cheap for some airlines to compete in that market 'cause they will lose money". In response, the Department of Transportation recently proposed guidelines to limit the maximum number of seats an airline can offer on particular routes and which forbid them from dropping prices below certain levels, all ...