load factor, but paid less (sometimes as much as 50 percent less) than their first-class counterparts. The airline industry was characterized by giants (American, United, TWA) who offered nationwide and some international service, with nonstop routes for longer trips (such as New York to Los Angeles), and by regional carriers, such as Southwest, which offered short trips between airports not served by the nationals.
The rules of the airline industry changed in 1978, however; deregulation introduced an entirely new playing field on which the national carriers and regional carriers were suddenly able to compete in an environment tha
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