southwest airlines new routes unveil echoes of 1970s airline deregulation shockwave
With the rollout of their latest expansion, southwest airlines new routes are drawing comparisons to the post-deregulation frenzy of the 1970s, when carriers scrambled to dominate open skies. Just as Pan Am’s 1970s hub-and-spoke gambit collapsed under its own weight, Southwest’s fresh grid of short-haul connections risks replicating the same disruptive pattern—a historical echo of cheap fares sparking a price war that could ground weaker competitors. History buffs note this unrolls like a modern replay of the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act’s chaotic aftermath.