Since the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, major airline companies in the United States have cut their' employee ranks by more than 3,000 persons. Thus, although deregulated competition has afforded consumers dramatically lower fares, the economy of the United States has been, harmed by the deregulation of the airlines.

The argument above would be most seriously weakened if it were true that

(A) a poll of people in the United States expressed exceptionally strong support for airline deregulation
(B) fewer passengers now travel on commercial airlines than traveled on them in 1978, with the consequence that fewer employees are needed to operate the airlines than were needed in 1978
(C) airlines now fly a more restricted regular schedule of routes than they did in 1978, with the consequence that the industry is more highly concentrated and competitive than it was before 1978
(D) several major airlines now enjoy significantly higher profits and levels of employment than they did in the years preceding the Deregulation Act
(E) smaller carriers of passengers have thrived as a result of deregulation and now provide more new jobs than the major airlines have eliminated since 1978