Originally Posted by
TuxTraveller
Are there enough flights that fall under the category to justify the entire downstairs D pier? Seems like more gates than would be required for EU non-schengen destinations.. I might be wrong, but doesn't seem to add up in my mind.
Don't forget that "D Downstairs" doesn't equate to 57 gates. There are 57 gates in the whole of D, each of them with two entrances (Schengen upstairs, non-Schengen downstairs). And I think the upstairs gates are already being used more than the downstairs ones, so I am sure that making D "EU/EEA/Schengen only" would work.
Another thing is that we are all very much hoping that they will get rid of D6 (the bus gate - currently a dozen or so gates rolled into one, D6A, D6B etc) and have Cityhopper flights depart straight from a gate - a change recently introduced for Schengen Cityhopper flights. If D6 disappears they will need lots more proper gates for UK flights.