is no longer planning to operate a concession at the Bermuda International Airport.

After thousands of dollars, endless bureaucratic battles, scores of unanswered questions, and the realisation that the tendering process was slanted against small Bermudian businesses, owner Susan Curtis decided two months ago to pull the plug on her 350-square-foot art shop.

"There's been a lot of money spent for the appearance that the playing field was level when it's not,'' she told The Royal Gazette last night.

"From the beginning I've had a lot of battles with these guys -- I've written to the Minister, the Premier, and never got a response that was satisfactory.

"I tell you there's an incredible amount of bureaucracy coming out of that place (Airport) and all of it at the taxpayer's expense.'' Among Ms Curtis' concerns was the expense of the tendering process, which required architectural drawings, a $5,000 non-interest bearing deposit, and a ten-year financial prospective.

Add to that the legal fees and the exercise becomes too much for any small retail operator, she said.

And despite numerous queries, Government refused to tell her who her upper-level Airport neighbours were going to be.

"I was supposed to go across from Airport shops and next to the food and beverage concession.

So here I am -- they want architectural drawings of what I'm going to look like and they won't even tell me who my neighbour was going to be. When I asked they told me they couldn't say until after the matter had gone through Parliament,'' she said.

When questioned whether her neighbour was going to be McDonald's, Ms Curtis said Airport officials never confirmed or denied it.

"All they would say is they couldn't tell me.

"There's been a lot of rumours around town that the whole process was a foregone conclusion, and from the beginning there have been so many inconsistencies that I've finally been put off,'' she said.

Meanwhile brothers Adrian and Nick Jones still have a bitter taste in their mouth after being turned down on their bid to operate the Airport's food and beverage concession, offering light sandwiches, croissants, pastries, along with Rock Island Coffee products.

Adrian Jones earlier told The Royal Gazette : "I called to ask why (they'd been turned down) and they said our proposal was excellent, but we didn't have any experience selling coffee. That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard.'' And brother Nick last night added the coffee shop more than met the "Bermudian-look'' requirement and the company was planning to push Rock Island Coffee, another local product.

"Here's a young Bermudian guy who's made the effort, put together a hell of a proposal, paid his $5,000 and didn't even get his interest back.

"If it turns out that a McDonald's is going in there then I think the whole thing stinks. It's disgusting and below the belt.'' AIRPORT FLY