It’s other passengers who make air travel unbearable

Flying is becoming a nightmare, thanks to too many travellers, overcrowded airports, and low-cost airlines that treat passengers like cattle (“UK flight chaos continues with dozens more cancellations at Gatwick and Heathrow”, Monday 9 September).

These days, I avoid Heathrow at all costs, as it is only concerned with making money and has forgotten it is a service for airline passengers. The quick turnaround of pilots and crew, air traffic controllers trying to cope with thousands of flights, and technical problems from manufacturers trying to meet orders, have only added to the dismay.

Meanwhile, many shorthaul destinations in Europe have had enough of Ryanair and easyJet offering cheap flights to people who are often undesirable.

Can flying be made attractive again?

Peter Fieldman

Paris

The latest ONS figures reveal an unexpected failure of the UK economy to grow in July, following a flatlining in June. Despite hopes of recovery, we are at a standstill (“As the economy stalls on Labour, what can Rachel Reeves do about it?”, Wednesday 11 September).

Labour often claims that small businesses are the beating heart of the UK economy – yet it’s clear that it is struggling to keep the economy alive.

At the start of summer, Labour pledged to “pull up the shutters for small businesses” and create a level playing field. Now is the time for them to act on that promise and support the backbone of our economy.

If you run a small business, you know how hard it is to get noticed online. Most can’t compete with the deep pockets of large corporations that dominate the digital landscape.

You’re left struggling for visibility, fighting against overwhelming odds to carve out space for your business in an already crowded market.

If this continues, the gap between small and large businesses will only widen, further weakening the UK economy. Labour must step up and ensure that the digital landscape works for all businesses, not just the big players.

Supporting small businesses is not just an economic imperative. It’s a necessity to revive the beating heart of the UK economy and create a more resilient, inclusive future for everyone.

Raffaele Apostolit

Hook

Surely, the obvious answer to the disastrous report on the state of the NHS (“Key points from landmark review of the health service”, Thursday 12 September) is to reinstate the most recent cut in national insurance and give Wes Streeting’s department the funding he needs.

This need not be seen as a rise in taxes: it is a simple reversal of an NI reduction, which I believe the workers of the country would be grateful to see invested to save the NHS.

Vanessa Greenaway

Hove

There are several things to consider when discussing those in receipt of the winter fuel allowance: you do not get it unless you are receiving the state pension. You do not get the state pension unless you accept the offer when it is proffered.

If millionaires are receiving the state pension, they will get a winter fuel allowance – but I would be surprised if they actually took up the offer in the first place (“I spend my winter fuel allowance on dinner at The Ivy”, Thursday 12 September).

Therefore, I assume that the “millionaires” that are being cited as taking this benefit away from cash-strapped pensioners are property millionaires, which is a hopeless situation to be in when you are cash-poor and cold.

The Labour Party may find that they overestimated their popularity – both for themselves and their policies and underestimated the enthusiasm for ridding ourselves of the Tories. One can only hope that when the Budget comes, there is something truly revolutionary to pull out of the hat and make this policy look like a step on the way to prosperity, rather than a misjudgement of epic proportions.

Chris Winton

Derby

It was heartening to read Lord Carlile’s support of the UK’s suspension of some arms licences to Israel, and his criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu (“Keir Starmer was right to take these small but meaningful steps over Israel”, Monday 9 September).

Those of us who are not Jewish sometimes hesitate to say such things, lest we be considered antisemitic.

It was generally agreed that Israel needs support in its self-defence. However, the Israeli army has gone on to destroy Gaza, kill 40,000 of its people, most of them innocent civilians, and deprive the surviving residents of food, shelter and health care.

Is this justifiable? Of course not.

The UK shouldn’t have withdrawn military support last week – it should have happened months ago.

Netanyahu still insists that the destruction of Hamas is a possibility, choosing to ignore the inevitability that his provocation will cause more terrorists to appear in future to replace the current leaders.

In my opinion, if he were really interested in the welfare of the hostages, he would have negotiated long ago. Clearly, his primary concern is his own reputation.

Hats off to the Israeli citizens who are now standing up to him. The rest of the world should do the same.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire