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SPECIAL FEATURE April 2016 airportbusiness 17 www.aviationpros.com/11174155 Duluth, going through ROTC, then joining the Air Force for pilot training, Hamiel came back to Minneapolis looking to be a pilot, but in 1977, none of the airlines were hiring, so he got a job at the airport. While it didn't pay as much as the airlines he was content with his position and the growth it offered. "Eventually the airlines called, but you know, I thought I got this airport job and it's a pretty good deal," he said. "It's a good position, I have a master's degree and I don't have to worry about flying every holiday." By 1985, Hamiel had moved through the ranks of MAC and was picked to run the organization. In 1978, Hamiel said the industry saw its biggest sea change with the implementation of deregulation of the airline industry. Airlines had been told where to fly, when to fly and what to charge until that point. When the legisla- tion took hold, it turned the industry on its ear as they could fly when and where they want- ed, using the equipment airlines deemed the best and fares were charged based on direct competition. "That was the beginning and quite frankly, we're still sifting through the results of that legislation," Hamiel said. "Since 1978, in nearly the last 40 years, we've seen the creation of new low-cost carriers; mainstays like Pan Am, TWA and Northwest are long gone; smaller ultra-low- cost carriers have come around and there have been bankruptcies and lots of consolidation." Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) found itself in a bind with consolidation with Northwest teetering on the brink of bank- ruptcy in the early 1990s. Hamiel led MAC as it decided to loan the airliner $300 million, a deal he said was never done before or since. Hamiel said the industry continues to change and with it, the experience of flying, so airports have worked to adjust. Deregulation coupled with new demands in passenger ame- nities along with security concerns brought on in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror- ist attacks changed the landscape of airports drastically. MAC