FULL ARTICLE:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04347/425087.stm
US Airways' troubles date to 1977 and Carter's deregulation czar
The path of Kahn
Sunday, December 12, 2004
By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
US Airways' struggle to survive began 27 years ago, with a visit from economist Alfred Kahn.
This is one in an occasional series about the rise of US Airways, the forces threatening its survival and the ramifications for the region.
The country's chief airline regulator, Kahn controlled where carriers could fly and what they could charge. US Airways -- then called Allegheny Airlines -- was a short-hop carrier to towns in the Northeast, frequently passing over the Appalachian and Allegheny mountains. The federal government protected its routes from rivals and set fares high enough for Allegheny to cover its costs.
But as Kahn visited in the summer of 1977, all that was about to change.
US Airways' troubles date to 1977 and Carter's deregulation czar
The path of Kahn
Sunday, December 12, 2004
By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
US Airways' struggle to survive began 27 years ago, with a visit from economist Alfred Kahn.
This is one in an occasional series about the rise of US Airways, the forces threatening its survival and the ramifications for the region.
The country's chief airline regulator, Kahn controlled where carriers could fly and what they could charge. US Airways -- then called Allegheny Airlines -- was a short-hop carrier to towns in the Northeast, frequently passing over the Appalachian and Allegheny mountains. The federal government protected its routes from rivals and set fares high enough for Allegheny to cover its costs.
But as Kahn visited in the summer of 1977, all that was about to change.
