This is just simply not true. Since Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, airlines in the United States have not been viewed by the government as public utilities. Rather, they are private companies with no obligation to anyone other than their stakeholders. And they shouldn't be public utilities because deregulatioan has shown that airlines and the American people benefit from a deregulated environment. The reason that Las Vegas is losing flights is that they cannot be operated at the prices people are willing to pay. It is not the responsibility of the airlines to provide cheap flights at a loss so the casino owners can make money even though they have over expanded.