There seems to be a fundamental flaw in how the ground ops are scheduled, I suspect due to BAA trying to get one person to do two jobs.

Every time I land at a well-run airport such as MUC, as our aircraft pulls on to the stand, an agent is waiting, standing in the jetty waiting to attach it to the side of the aircraft, and starts it moving as soon as we come to a stop. Presumably, on his way down to his position, he will have unlocked the doors through from the jetty into arrivals.

At LHR the equivalent person always seems to be somewhere else. I've never understood why this is. Is LGW as bad?