Qantas, Virgin too powerful to be held hostage over fees: airports

Australia's two major domestic airlines have too much market power to let airports hold them hostage to unreasonable fees, according to the airports' lobby group, which says Qantas and Virgin are using their duopoly position to bump up airfares and play hard ball with regional airports. The Australian Airports Association has also told a Productivity Inquiry that introducing new controls on how much airports charge airlines to use their runways, terminals and other infrastructure could hinder investment that has brought in competitors and lower international fares to Australia. The airports say Australia's airlines enjoy significant bargaining power. The submission into the inquiry into airport regulation follows claims from the nation's airlines that they are being gouged by Australia's monopoly airports. <br/>