A First Professional Degree For The Aviation Industry: Recommendations For Research and Practice

Abstract

The deregulation of the airline industry precipitated a number of aviation industry changes: In the fall of 1978, Congress deregulated commercial
aviation, arguing that the airlines had matured and no longer required the protection offered by regulation. The effects of deregulation were felt almost immediately. Airlines, testing their new freedoms, increased fares on some routes and decreased them on others. They entered numerous new markets and withdrew from a number of smaller, low-density markets. New carriers filed for certification and new marketing strategies evolved as the airlines' managements attempted to structure their route networks for survival in the new, highly competitive environment. (Federal Aviation Administration,_1987, p. 3) These changes, in turn, created or enhanced several aviation industry-wide problems: The evolution of the industry to date has had a significant impact on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) workload and facility planning. The rapid development of connecting hub airports and an increased airline emphasis on schedule frequency to attract and control traffic have made airport capacity problems a major challenge for the FAA. (FederalAviation Administration, 1987, p. 3)