Obituary here, Wikipedia page here. As the architect of airline deregulation, he was one of the most important economists of his generation. From Andrew Gelman, here is more.
Alfred Kahn passes away at 93
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I met him a few years ago at a Festschrift for another economist. Funny guy. He was devotedly taking care of his ailing wife but was able to keep a smile on his face and mine.
I don't think enough people appreciate how much of a positive influence he had on our economy through his airline deregulation work. John Siegfried listed airline deregulation as one of the top ten ways that economists improved people's lives during the 20th century in his "Better Living through Economics".
Great guy. Worked with him on some deregulation/antitrust matters. He anticipated issues on deregulation, and in deregulating, advocated paths that reduced barriers to entry while maintaining oversight. He had a great faith in markets but was also vigilent: he tipped off the government on how an airline traffic bureau was being used by carriers to fix prices.
KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!
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