Madam, - The attempt by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen to blame the chaotic congestion at Dublin Airport on the airlines using it is outrageous. It is a flagrant example of attempting to pass the buck.
Passengers have been advised to arrive at the airport 90 minutes before departure time to ensure they make their flights, which in itself is ridiculous, particularly for those on short flights to the UK.
The Minister's response to this is to ask the airlines to open their check-in desks even earlier to alleviate a problem not of their making.
Add to this the fact that people travelling from relatively short distances of up to 20 miles to get to the airport have to leave an hour earlier because of inadequate roads - also his responsibility, incidentally - and a 50-minute flight to the UK ends up taking four hours' travelling time.
Of course none of this is likely to impinge on Mr Cullen as he, like his Cabinet colleagues, has the use of the Government jet based at the little-used Baldonnel Airport. If he is serious about tackling congestion at Dublin airport a more constructive suggestion might be to open up Baldonnel to airlines until the second terminal opens at Dublin Airport. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN McMAHON, Elmwood, Naas, Co Kildare.