Originally Posted by fripperies

You're missing the point. The irritant is not the detour itself but the contempt for passengers that it reveals. The short walk itself is fine. I'd welcome the exercise if it was for a legitimate reason. What riles is being herded sheep-like through the bazaar purely to serve as commercial fodder. It's a demeaning way to be treated.

I don't know if's still the same but there was an even more risible example at Liverpool. After check-in, following signs to gates took you up stairs, along a tortuous route through shops, pubs, eateries, more shops, the full length of the terminal, then ... down stairs to ground floor to near to where you started. It was so blatant it was laughable.