BEIJING, CHINA - TOO far away, too expensive and too keen to make money - China's top civil aviation regulator took aim at the country's airports on Wednesday as he strives to improve service at the nation's gateways ahead of the Olympics.

'You can buy a cheap ticket for just a few hundred yuan these days, but it may cost you 200 or 300 yuan just to get to the airport and back,' Mr Li Jiaxiang said on the sidelines of the annual meeting of parliament, according to news agency Xinhua.

'When localities are building airports, from now on they must plan properly to prevent waste,' Xinhua cited him as saying.

The country is spending billions of dollars upgrading old airports and building new ones, but service standards have fallen behind and the government is trying to address the issue ahead of this summer's Beijing Olympics.

Passengers have complained too about price gouging, with food and drink costing double or triple what it should.

'We know that during the recent snow disasters, some airports in affected areas were charging 20 yuan for a bottle of mineral water. That's too expensive,' Mr Li said, refering to recent heavy snowfall in China's south which paralysed transport.

A small bottle of water typically costs one or two yuan at a Chinese convenience store.

And Mr Li complained that at some airports, 'easy boarding' services, where passengers pay for access to speedier security checks and get priority boarding, could lead to security breaches.

'Passengers hand over a bit of money and they are lead on. Airport workers turn a blind eye when rewarded, and may feel embarrassed about doing proper security checks,' he said.

'Problems can easily arise.'

Airports should put more effort into serving people, rather than fixating on making money, branching out into hotels and real estate, Li added.

'Running a good airport is like opening a door: it can spur economic development. It can show off the characteristics of a society,' he said. 'Airports can't just think about making money.' -- REUTERS