It comes to something when the government has to step in to legislate to make airports more consumer-friendly.
But that’s what happened this week when the Queen’s Speech set out the programme for the first term of the new Tory-Lib Dem coalition government.
Trade complaints about how airports are operated have been vocal and numerous in recent years, not least when terror alerts prompt tight security measures.
I can imagine how news of the government’s intervention went down with many of our airports’ most ardent critics.
While the new government looks set to oppose the airport expansion that much of the trade supports, at least it seems determined to improve the flying experience.
There are no detailed proposals yet but one of the most pressing issues, and the thing that causes most anger, remains the delays around extra security.
Of course, airports need to ensure customer safety. But some of the more stringent measures – and the logjams they create – really test flyers’ patience.
How infuriating it must be to sell a client a dream holiday only to receive complaints because it was ruined before they were even called to the departure gate.
Just as unacceptable is the situation they face when they arrive back in the UK – snaking passport control queues.
Technology can provide some answers, but many of the problems at airports have been a lack of human resources.
In this new age of austerity, who’s going to pay for that?
Will government intervention help? Discuss it on travelhub