<P> Dan McKinnon would be the last chairman of the CAB and would oversee its final closure on January 1, 1985 . </P> <P> Senator Howard Cannon of Nevada introduced S. 2493 on February 6, 1978 . The bill was passed and was signed by Carter on October 24, 1978 . </P> <P> The stated goals of the Act included the following: </P> <Ul> <Li> the maintenance of safety as the highest priority in air commerce; </Li> <Li> placing maximum reliance on competition in providing air transportation services; </Li> <Li> the encouragement of air service at major urban areas through secondary (nonprimary) or satellite airports; </Li> <Li> the avoidance of unreasonable industry concentration which would tend to allow one or more air carriers to unreasonably increase prices, reduce services, or exclude competition; and </Li> <Li> the encouragement of entry into air transportation markets by new air carriers, the encouragement of entry into additional markets by existing air carriers, and the continued strengthening of small air carriers . </Li> </Ul>

Economic and political factors that influenced the passage of the airline deregulation act of 1978