Supply and demand would have brought on natural hiring of pilots just as it is doing today. 60% of pilots wouldn't be selling shoes. At least not at the legacy carriers. 100% of the discount carrier pilots and LCC would though because the DRA gave birth to those airlines. Without the DRA, SWA would not exist. That is well documented.

A good article by the Chicago Tribune, which is a left leaning paper: "The biggest factor was the emergence of a consensus among experts that the regulation was fundamentally malignant.." The article "why did deregulation happen." Was published there in 1985. I thought it was rather interesting to learn the CAB had been providing government subsidies to unprofitable routes. This was artificially propping up unprofitable routes. it was essentially an airline economy built upon a house of cards. The subsides were not passed on to consumers via any type of ticket savings. "' The greatest achievement of deregulation may not be to foster a freer and more productive economy, but to reaffirm the power of ideas."

The various courts, both democrat, and republican have rulings on everything from seniority to bankruptcy as a result of the DRA of 78. Without the act, none of the chaos of the 80's needed to or would have happened. Reagan didn't do anything to the airline business. if Carter shot us in the chest in 78, what the heck could Reagan do to us in the 80's, other than put us on life support and wait for organ donors. All of those circuit court and appeals court judges in place in the 80's had been in their seats since the 60's.

Acts of congress, signed by a President have consequences. You either blame one, or the other, or both branches of government. But the third branch, the judiciary, the courts is a hard one to blame since they are a conglomeration of various generations of jurisprudence and precedent.