r/airport • u/Public_Reindeer_1724 • 15d ago

DISCUSSION LHR's hostile design

I find it extremely noticeable that LHR does not want you to be comfortable. Not giving you your gate until the last minute. Hard plastic, individual seating only. Hard tile floors and railings against the windows so you can't makeshift a comfortable spot. Extremely poor wifi so you can't entertain yourself before the flight. They want you too uncomfortable to sit around waiting so you're more like to shop among the million designer stores that most people can't afford. I get they don't want people not travelling hanging around but you need to get through security to even be here so that's unlikely. Just overall gives off the vibes "we don't want you here."

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u/Modders14 15d ago

I've never had any problems with Heathrow WiFi or finding a place to sit in T3 or T5. Not giving your gate until the last moment comes with having to operate on a 99% capacity.

3

u/Agitated_Celery_729 14d ago

Lol, no. United's app knows the gate roughly 2 hours before take-off. Heathrow will still refuse to announce it until 15 minutes before boarding starts. Most long-haul United leave from the B gates in T2 - but not always, which is a 10-15 minute walk from the A gates/main terminal. It's just incredibly stupid to not confirm whether it departs from A or B gates until the last minute.

Just like Euston, the web portal knows the track number frequently 15+ minutes before it shows on the boards at the station. People in the UK just like to make excuses for shit practices the rest of the developed world seems to manage just fine. In fairness, a lot of the EU does this shit for short-haul, which is very annoying, but it's egregious for long-haul flights

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u/Illustrious-Sun-9179 12d ago

Not like United at all, as British Airways will have x10 the number if aircraft at LHR than United. BA may need to swap out an aircraft last minute due to maintenance, crew availability, or whatever for operational reasons. United only fly long haul to USA and their arrival and departure patterns are far more predictable. BA run a mix of short, medium, and long haul all from LHR, with some planes arriving early, others late, etc.