I MUST ADMIT THAT EVERY TIME I GRAB A BITE TO EAT OR buy something to drink at an airport, the exorbitant prices that they charge always spoils my appetite. Do they think that just because people have the money to travel that they don't mind paying $20 for a bottle of mineral water instead of $10?

People do mind and thankfully the people at the Airport Authority have finally said enough is enough. As part of the relaunch of the huge SkyMart shopping complex in March this year, tenants at the airport are not allowed to charge prices higher than they ask customers to pay in the city, says Heidi Kwan, Chief of Communications at the airport.

"Some people were sceptical of this at first, but we challenged even the media to find any outlet that charges more here than in their downtown shops," she told members joining the Chamber's tour of the airport on May 7.

SkyMart is part of the airport's goal of constantly improving the services and facilities offered to passengers, she added. Members also learned that the airport is even planning to build a 9-hole golf course next to SkyPlaza, a new international exhibition facility, as part of this philosophy.

Such efforts are paying off. The airport has been voted Airport of the Year for the past four consecutive years by Skytrax Research of London, which polled travellers from around the world.

Last year, due to SARS, passenger throughput at the airport dropped 20.3 percent from 34.31 million passengers in 2002, to 27.35 million in 2003. Ms Kwan said figures for this year are already looking very healthy and that the small army of 45,000 staff, which keep the airport running smoothly 24 hours a day, will be kept busy.

After a briefing on the general overview of operations at the airport, members visited the airport control centre, which ensures the safety and smooth flow of all systems in the building. The next tour was a look at the airport apron and docking bays, before spending a fascinating half hour in the traffic control tower and radar room.

The chamber wishes to sincerely thank the Airport Authority and Civil Aviation Department for giving members such an in-depth tour of its facilities. In the words of one member who joined the trip: "absolutely brilliant!"