Given the lounge obsessed nature of this forum I think it's easier to overlook another area of BAA passenger patronisation [tm]. It's been touched on just briefly in this thread about LHR being overpriced and underwhelming: the shop at the end of the rainbow, aka the last chance saloon that EVERY passenger has to go through after clearing immigration and customs, unless perhaps you're being ferried through a VIP suite.

OK, I can blindly walk by and not buy anything, and yes some will say the even moderate sales here are still helping bring down those airport fees for others. But I really just think it's downright tacky. Finish a long haul flight, do your required government business in very controlled zones and then, naively, expect to go through a door and "arrive" in your destination country but, no, you pop into a shop which just says -- to me -- "welcome to Britain, we like to sell things". I'm a glass half full kind of guy but it just lowers my mood every time I have to pass by the crassness of it all. And it is every time.

I know it's just a little, tiny, shop. But I guess I'm a bit old skool and just think it shouldn't be in that particular part of the airport. Other areas ok but not in this "official", more controlled area. But as we know, the airport is a retail park, so why not.

If only it could be removed, a little more space given over to comfort for arriving passengers [of all classes] and maybe BAA could just get away with it without losing face by saying they were doing it for -- that old chestnut -- increased demands of security. One can dream.

Just my opinion. But in someways this is miles more annoying that having to walk a bit further to a lounge you actually don't have to go to anyway.