Which act ended the government's economic control of US airlines, allowing carriers to set their own routes, fares, and commissions?

• A. Federal Aviation Act
• B. Airline Deregulation Act
• C. Civil Aeronautics Act
• D. Airline Control Act

Answer: (B)

Deregulation of airline economics ended the era of government control and handed decision-making back to market forces. For years, the government regulated where airlines could fly, what they could charge, and even how commissions were set, under frameworks built by earlier acts that created and empowered regulators like the Civil Aeronautics Board. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 removed most of that economic oversight, letting carriers decide routes and fares and how to structure incentives, while safety and other non-economic responsibilities stayed with federal authorities. This shift explains why that act is the correct one: it specifically ended government control over economic aspects of airline operations. The Federal Aviation Act and the Civil Aeronautics Act laid the regulatory groundwork and safety oversight, but did not end the economic controls in the way deregulation did.