The British airports have been under fire for years because of their monopoly position and apparent disregard for both passengers and airlines. Anyone who has connected at Heathrow has experienced the cobbled up airport design that has put passenger needs last.
In a provisional report published yesterday, the UK Competition Commission said that BAA’s monopoly had resulted in poor passenger service and a lack of ambition in developing these vital pieces of infrastructure.
“We just seem to have been stuck in a time warp for the past two decades,” said Christopher Clarke, the chairman of the commission’s inquiry.
The airlines feel the same way. They have been arguing for years that the airport monopoly should be broken up. Now they are getting more proactive in their approach to airport complaints.
In a build-up to the Competition Commission report, due early next year, some profitable airlines are considering purchasing the airports themselves. Ryanair has made noises about buying Stansted airport north of London and Virgin Atlantic said it might consider joining a consortium to take over Gatwick airport, south of the city.
Only last week, the Belfast, Ireland, airport was sold by the Spanish Ferrovial Group that owns most of the UK airports including Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.
Don’t shed any crocodile tears for the Spanish Ferrovial Group. The company stands to make a killing if the Competition Commission forces their hand and mandates a sale of two of the three London airports, as seems to be the case. The sale price of the Belfast airport is reported to be around $250 million. They bought the airport only five years ago for about $70 million.
Who would have thought that airport ownership would become a spectator sport?
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
