The deregulation of transportation and telecommunications that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s succeeded in increasing competition, which lowered consumer prices and increased choices, and provided tens of billions of dollars per year in consumer benefits.

The deregulation of the 1970s—most notably the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978—fundamentally transformed the travel industry by shifting control from the government to the free market. The immediate result was a massive drop in airfares (nearly 45% in real terms over the following decades) and a significant increase in the total number of passengers. It allowed for the rise of "Low-Cost Carriers" (LCCs) and led to the industry-wide adoption of the hub-and-spoke system, which increased flight frequency but made non-stop flights between smaller cities rarer. While consumers gained affordability and more choices, the competitive pressure caused the collapse of many legendary "legacy" airlines like Pan Am and TWA. For your city data project, this era is significant because it led to the expansion of major hub airports and the democratization of flight, moving it from a luxury experience for the elite to a standard mode of transport for the general public, though it also led to more crowded cabins and decreased amenities.