Some airline executives have called for "re-reregulation". Why might an executive of an airline prefer to operate in a regulated environment?

Before the deregulation of 1978, the United States' airline industry existed in an oligopolistic market structure. It meant that they could rely on strategic dependency to protect their long-run economic profitability. The airline companies were few enough to agree on non-price competition strategies.

Deregulating the environment opened up the industry to stiff competition, reducing strategic dependency ineffective, and ultimately undercutting prices. The net prices against increasingly elastic demand for individual firms.

An airline executive may prefer a regulated environment because it knocks off most competitors, strengthens strategic dependence, and supports long-term economic profits.