Book excerpt: The dramatic rise in air traffic, together with rapid residential and commercial development around our metropolitan areas, has strained the capacity of airports to serve the public safely and efficiently. Hardaway's book explores this problem in depth. Drawing on both the hands-on expertise of professionals in the field and a thorough grounding in law and public policy, it looks at the laws governing airport development and addresses the complex regulatory and policy issues surrounding the construction, expansion, and operation of airports. Beginning with a review of airport regulation from 1903 onward, Hardaway examines aspects of regulatory power, including federal and local authority, local proprietorship, and citizens' concerns. Chapters on airport planning, financing, and operation have been contributed by experts with practical experience in these fields. The question of civil rights in employment and marketplace competition is also considered. Other topics addressed are local, state, and federal regulation of noise; responses to the terrorist threat; the airport as a public forum for free speech and the exercise of religion; the economics of regulation; and the impact of anti-trust legislation. Offering constructive proposals for policy development as well as detailed analysis of current problems, this book will be appropriate reading for students, educators, and professionals concerned with air transportation development, management, policy, and law.