3rd World Airport: London Heathrow

Perhaps I've led a sheltered life. But I have travelled all over the US,
and some parts of Europe. In all these travels I'd never happened through
London Heathrow . . . until recently. (Arriving on AA from Chicago at
Terminal 4, I had to connect with a BA flight at Terminal 1.) And I have
never been in any airport so badly maintained, run, designed,
constructed, . . . [this list is infinite].

It gave me a new respect for anyone who might have the misfortune to have
to regularly frequent this hellish place. I've never been to Entebbe or
Sheremetyevo either, but I can imagine they must be first-rate compared
to LHR. My change involved quite a bit of walking. By "quite a bit" I
mean approaching Appalachian Trail levels. All of this is thinking you
are going to be asked to clear customs at any moment so you have them in
hand. Of course no-one has explained you will not do this until getting
to Terminal One. A very curious thing. Just when the worst of the hike
appears to be over you descend an escalator to *catch a bus*. Of course,
first you have to wait until about 6 buses load ahead of you, the line
shuffles forward in a terribly cramped un-air-conditioned piece of ****
space (are we on Candid Camera?). Eventually you get on. After a scenic
tour of the bowels of Heathrow (which appears to be ENTIRELY either in
the process of demolition / construction) you arrive at Terminal 1 / 2.
The joy is just beginning. You discover you must once again clear
security (in spite of having flown from the US and been happily underway
on your trip on the air side for 12 hours). This naturally takes 45
minutes. No-one explains what you will need to present to the security
check (boarding card) so all manner of documents and passports are being
gotten in readiness for no good reason.
Then it's back on the Trail for another mammoth walk via (finally!) an
immigration check, again totally unsigned so as to make sense. A lot of
Americans don't understand "eu" (lower case) and get in the wrong line!
Then it's back on the Trail (take gorp!) for 15 minutes to a BA holding
pen, and then eventually when your flight is called, another 10 minutes
to the gate.

I was offerred a 1 hour connection at LHR. I thought it might be "a bit
tight" and declined, but what it would have been was a futile
impossibility. It took me 1:25 minutes to get off the AA ORD flight to
the holding pen, and I was a SWEATY BLOB for my troubles. And yes the
lack of any sort of decent a/c is another hideous aspect of this place.
It's as though way back some time someone sat down in Westminster to
design the most stupid & irritating airport that money could buy. I will
NEVER be back unless absolutely impossible to avoid. Even the restrooms
are designed so as to be big enough for a man, *or* his hand luggage, but
not both, and certainly not more than one person to pass within their
confines.

This was an absolutely amazing revelation to me and my hat's off to any
of you who frequent this place on a regular basis.

On the return trip via LGW a totally different and relatively positive
experience.

It gives me new regard for even pretty poor US airports liek DFW.
Comparitively speaking they are havens of sanity and logic.

bb wrote in message ...

It's as though way back some time someone sat down in Westminster to
design the most stupid & irritating airport that money could buy.

LOL. Way back, the design was a small 2-terminal airport (the now T1 and
T2).
Naturally that proved to be insufficient and the result is what you have
now - a hodge-podge of additional buildings, concourses and roadways all
compressed into a tiny island between the runways.

All Westminster has managed to do, through various governments, is to
debate, delay and repeatedly duck the blindingly obvious need for a new
airport. And yes, the Brits have never heard of air-conditioning. Stiff
upper lip old chap.

bb wrote in message ...

It's as though way back some time someone sat down in Westminster to
design the most stupid & irritating airport that money could buy.

LOL. Way back, the design was a small 2-terminal airport (the now T1 and
T2).
Naturally that proved to be insufficient and the result is what you have
now - a hodge-podge of additional buildings, concourses and roadways all
compressed into a tiny island between the runways.

All Westminster has managed to do, through various governments, is to
debate, delay and repeatedly duck the blindingly obvious need for a new
airport. And yes, the Brits have never heard of air-conditioning. Stiff
upper lip old chap.

bb wrote in message ...

It's as though way back some time someone sat down in Westminster to
design the most stupid & irritating airport that money could buy.

LOL. Way back, the design was a small 2-terminal airport (the now T1 and
T2).
Naturally that proved to be insufficient and the result is what you have
now - a hodge-podge of additional buildings, concourses and roadways all
compressed into a tiny island between the runways.

All Westminster has managed to do, through various governments, is to
debate, delay and repeatedly duck the blindingly obvious need for a new
airport. And yes, the Brits have never heard of air-conditioning. Stiff
upper lip old chap.

bb wrote in message ...
Perhaps I've led a sheltered life. But I have travelled all over the US,
and some parts of Europe. In all these travels I'd never happened through
London Heathrow . . . until recently. (Arriving on AA from Chicago at
Terminal 4, I had to connect with a BA flight at Terminal 1.) And I have
never been in any airport so badly maintained, run, designed,
constructed, . . . [this list is infinite].

yes it absolutely stinks . lack of investment going back many years
..there are half finished bits of construction all over the place .
it reminds one of an African market place .



terminal 5 is under construction .

Thanks for your post. More people should share their experiences after the
trip. Usually they just ask questions before the trip. I will keep your
advice in mind. V.


"bb" wrote in message
...
Perhaps I've led a sheltered life. But I have travelled all over the US,
and some parts of Europe. In all these travels I'd never happened through
London Heathrow . . . until recently. (Arriving on AA from Chicago at
Terminal 4, I had to connect with a BA flight at Terminal 1.) And I have
never been in any airport so badly maintained, run, designed,
constructed, . . . [this list is infinite].

It gave me a new respect for anyone who might have the misfortune to have
to regularly frequent this hellish place. I've never been to Entebbe or
Sheremetyevo either, but I can imagine they must be first-rate compared
to LHR. My change involved quite a bit of walking. By "quite a bit" I
mean approaching Appalachian Trail levels. All of this is thinking you
are going to be asked to clear customs at any moment so you have them in
hand. Of course no-one has explained you will not do this until getting
to Terminal One. A very curious thing. Just when the worst of the hike
appears to be over you descend an escalator to *catch a bus*. Of course,
first you have to wait until about 6 buses load ahead of you, the line
shuffles forward in a terribly cramped un-air-conditioned piece of ****
space (are we on Candid Camera?). Eventually you get on. After a scenic
tour of the bowels of Heathrow (which appears to be ENTIRELY either in
the process of demolition / construction) you arrive at Terminal 1 / 2.
The joy is just beginning. You discover you must once again clear
security (in spite of having flown from the US and been happily underway
on your trip on the air side for 12 hours). This naturally takes 45
minutes. No-one explains what you will need to present to the security
check (boarding card) so all manner of documents and passports are being
gotten in readiness for no good reason.
Then it's back on the Trail for another mammoth walk via (finally!) an
immigration check, again totally unsigned so as to make sense. A lot of
Americans don't understand "eu" (lower case) and get in the wrong line!
Then it's back on the Trail (take gorp!) for 15 minutes to a BA holding
pen, and then eventually when your flight is called, another 10 minutes
to the gate.

I was offerred a 1 hour connection at LHR. I thought it might be "a bit
tight" and declined, but what it would have been was a futile
impossibility. It took me 1:25 minutes to get off the AA ORD flight to
the holding pen, and I was a SWEATY BLOB for my troubles. And yes the
lack of any sort of decent a/c is another hideous aspect of this place.
It's as though way back some time someone sat down in Westminster to
design the most stupid & irritating airport that money could buy. I will
NEVER be back unless absolutely impossible to avoid. Even the restrooms
are designed so as to be big enough for a man, *or* his hand luggage, but
not both, and certainly not more than one person to pass within their
confines.

This was an absolutely amazing revelation to me and my hat's off to any
of you who frequent this place on a regular basis.

On the return trip via LGW a totally different and relatively positive
experience.

It gives me new regard for even pretty poor US airports liek DFW.
Comparitively speaking they are havens of sanity and logic.

All Westminster has managed to do, through various governments, is to
debate, delay and repeatedly duck the blindingly obvious need for a new
airport. And yes, the Brits have never heard of air-conditioning. Stiff
upper lip old chap.

Why don't people in cold countries just use reverse cycle
air-conditioning for their heating and cooling needs? It is a very
efficient heater and of course cools in summer.

Something like 5 times cheaper to run than any other heating method
apparently.

All Westminster has managed to do, through various governments, is to
debate, delay and repeatedly duck the blindingly obvious need for a new
airport. And yes, the Brits have never heard of air-conditioning. Stiff
upper lip old chap.

Why don't people in cold countries just use reverse cycle
air-conditioning for their heating and cooling needs? It is a very
efficient heater and of course cools in summer.

Something like 5 times cheaper to run than any other heating method
apparently.

That's because the UK is a third world country:

- High taxes, yet services going down the toilet.

- A crippling cost of living.

- A failing education system, with students being cattle-herded into
universities with plummeting academic standards.

- A tidal wave of immigrants are descending on the country - many of
whom are extremists and hate western values.

The UK's standard of living is a dismal 12th place, falling well behind
that of Australia, the US and other countries.

That's because the UK is a third world country:

- High taxes, yet services going down the toilet.

- A crippling cost of living.

- A failing education system, with students being cattle-herded into
universities with plummeting academic standards.

- A tidal wave of immigrants are descending on the country - many of
whom are extremists and hate western values.

The UK's standard of living is a dismal 12th place, falling well behind
that of Australia, the US and other countries.