Government must 'get a grip' on airport situation

Prime minister Gordon Brown and his new government have been called out over the state of the nation's airports by the Tories.

Following a frustrating week in which passengers at Heathrow Airport had to wait up to nine hours for their bags and those traveling from Manchester Airport witnessed delays caused by a power cut, the Tories urged the government to initiate open discussions surrounding "airport chaos".

British Airways has faced a lot of criticism in recent weeks for its inability to reunite travellers with their luggage. Queues and delays at airports all over the country have served to further frustrate passengers.

Theresa Villiers, shadow transport secretary, said: "This summer has seen passengers' patience stretched to breaking point with endless queues and an airport operator who seems more concerned with running shopping malls than an efficient airport.

"As well as leading to huge frustration for holidaymakers, the state of Heathrow and other major airports is undermining our competitiveness with the poor first impression it gives to thousands of business-people arriving in this country."

BAA, which owns and operates Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Glasgow Airport among others, said recently that it expects queues at Stansted passport control to last more than an hour at peak times over the summer months.