The Reagan Administration said Congress should consider...

The Reagan Administration said Congress should consider streamlining federal aviation regulations and turning over the air traffic control system to private hands. In a special chapter of its annual economic report, President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers said the deregulation that had already occurred during the past decade had saved airline companies and travelers about $100 billion. Airline traffic has soared since the industry was deregulated in 1978, resulting in increased congestion and concerns over near-misses. For the long term, options to be considered include privatizing the air traffic control system and stripping the Federal Aviation Agency of its broad power to shape the airline industry by restricting its role to regulating aviation safety.