The next time you`re stuck in an airport terminal, you might
feel like cursing the 1978 decision by the federal government to
deregulate the airline industry. Indeed, some travelers describe
deregulation as a classic case of ``fixing`` something that
wasn`t broken. I chaired a committee of the National Research
Council that has just completed a comprehensive study of
domestic air transport since deregulation, and we found this
piece of popular wisdom to be largely mistaken. Deregulation has
resulted in better passenger service, lower average fares and no
measurable loss of safety. The industry is far more competitive
and efficient than it was 13 years ago. Not that deregulation
has been painless. Venerable carriers such as Eastern have gone
bust, and other like Continental and TWA face serious problems.
Finding the cheapest fare can be an ordeal. Several airports are
operating near the bursting point. But when one looks to the
record as a whole, there is little doubt that the flying public
is better off from