I thought this article on the BBC website may be of interest, debating whether the airport has become too stressful. I can sympathise with some of the points made.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17988650
Common complaints include confusing signs, chaotic carousel crowding, rampant profiteering, having to remove shoes at security, lack of free wi-fi and lack of information on delays and cancellations.
All valid issues.
The signs at T5 are confusing as there are so few, and often positioned where you wouldn't expect to look. I've said before that if you come into the airport from the Heathrow Express, having already checked in, you can't easily see the route to departures as it's DIRECTLY in front of you - and the signs are written on the sides of the pillar in front - so until you go forward and walk left/right and look back, you'll not notice.
There are many other examples, both land and air side.
Crowding around carousels is partly down to how rude people are these days and how stupid people are. If everyone stood back and stepped forward to get their bag, everything would move very quickly. Instead, these idiots all stand at the edge, which means people can't get their bag and those who see their bag can't easily grab it without having to crash into the other people who would sooner sit on the belt than wait from a small distance.
Security is good at some airports and not at others. Gatwick's South Terminal is awesome. T5 at LHR is also pretty good, so hopefully that will improve. Taking off shoes and belts, or taking out laptops, is a pain. It's rather silly that you must take out laptops, yet I'll travel with one or two tablets and three or four mobile phones, plus chargers and other cables. I guess the rules haven't been updated for tablets and other modern computing equipment.
Free Wi-Fi; I guess it's acceptable to have a charge for this, but to make it much easier to get short-term access (and cheaper). I'd sooner use a mobile data connection these days, which offers more security too. Instead of free Wi-Fi, I'd rather ensure good 3G coverage throughout the buildings. I guess that foreign users would want Wi-Fi though, to avoid hefty roaming charges.
Lack of information - thank God it's not just the railways! These days, there are loads of apps to give you accurate flight information, which includes checking the inbound flight that makes your outbound departure. It's then very easy to predict the delays when staff at the gate won't tell you. Sadly, this means only a select few get to obtain the information while others are left in the dark.
Immigration is another complaint and one I've had long before it got 'big' in the media. I remember the long queues at Stansted going back years, and I'm disappointed how they never really bothered with IRIS and went with a range of other options that are pretty unreliable. Every time I come back to the UK, having been to some wonderful cities around the world, I always get the feeling of 'Boy do we suck' and feel ashamed at how visitors must get such a poor first impression. And that's me coming in as an EU citizen!
In contrast, things have improved loads when you go to the US. They're also so much more polite than I remember, from shortly after 9/11. I guess I can't speak for every US state or airport though, but they do seem to want to welcome you. Ditto when I went to Australia, and China, and Japan....
It isn't security that gets me, it's all the flagrant abuse of a captive market. Some people such as myself have simple tastes. What we want to pass the time is a cheap cup of tea and a biscuit, or if we get hungry, something along the ham sandwich or egg-and-chip lines. We don't want Gordon Ramsey restaurants or other expensive stuff.
I guess BAA and the like figure that you concentrate on:
- The rich passengers who will buy any tat as long as it's expensive (and has a label). Often goods that aren't any cheaper, or are 'special editions' so the prices can't even be compared with elsewhere.
- The business traveller obliged to get a gift for their husband/wife/children and didn't get a chance to do it while they were in the country they just visited.
- The businessman who is buying something nice for his mistress or secretary on that overseas conference, or for the wife at home because they feel guilty for having been up to no good.
- The people who still believe everything in duty free is a bargain and not even thinking to compare the prices with what you could get online or even on the high street. It's also more convenient to buy these things when you're not then stuck carrying it on your flight and for the whole trip.
Everyone else, like the family going on holiday that wants a cheap meal before flying is ignored! BAA probably charge these companies a fair few quid to be there too.
Heathrow now has loads of expensive labels and boutiques, so I now try and get through to departures as late as humanly possible! In other words, I've gone from spending a little to as little as possible.
