I go out of my way to avoid Heathrow if at all possible, as a Brit living in Hamburg, whenever I return I feel ashamed of the impression that we give to tens of thousands of travellers coming to Britain - the first things they see are dirty carpets, surly staff and queues, even before they try to reclaim luggage, its a disgrace.

Nick, Hamburg, Germany

BAA's mandate is to squeeze passengers so hard that their kidneys are liable to pop out.

Everything in a BAA airport should be labelled "rip off". Glossy and appealing packaging aside, the place is a mugging from start to finish. Including the comical tiny plastic bags to put tiny containers of fluid into: was it £1 or £2 they charged for these silly things at Stansted? I can hardly remember.

When the passenger has been milked of his "green tax" (so funny--paying for fuel!), his overpriced liquor, or his £88 parking per day in Heathrow short term (you can book in advance for a BAA airport on the web, as it says it's cheaper, but you'll be laughed at when you check out as the staff reveal it's dearer than paying in person)..

..then it's on to security: a huge long shuffling line of sheep, removing belts, shoes, jackets, and dangerous nail files, and throwing away perfectly good drinks so they have to buy them again on the other side. "Baa" is about right!

iain carstairs, bedford, uk

When a government grants a monopoly what does anyone expect?

Stuart, Wessex,

I've just passed through Terminal 2D at Paris Charles de Gaulle. What a dump. Easily the worst terminal I have had the misfortune to pass through. Even Heathrow is better.

Derek Watson,, Aberdeen, Scotland

I agree. Luckily I no longer live in the UK and I usually use Vienna, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Stockholm as hubs for long-distance travel (Frankfurt also has its issues). Vienna is wonderful for making the city centre easily reachable during stop overs.

Both Heathrow and Gatwick are terrible places to be in, overcrowded, no seating facilities (though Vienna.....hmmm), distances to walk are so long that now here in Vilnius, where I live, I use the bus to the airport instead of taxis, since the distance to my nearest airport bus is vastly less than any distance in Heathrow or Gatwick....

Beate, Vilnius, Lithuania

I've travelled long haul for 35 years and I avoid Heathrow like the plague. I prefer to enter Europe through Amsterdam, Brussels or Frankfurt, then on to my local UK airport.

Charles De Gaul and Rome are still a long way behind Heathrow though.

Arthur Stilgrove, Wallsend, UK