As others have said, I do no think that crowded LHR justifies in any way this information retention. Gate use is not any less overstretched in most parts of CDG, AMS or FRA, as NickB mentions it is only runway use which is and much underused airports in the UK do the same anyway.

I find it a real issue in principle because I regularly see people panicking/crying at LHR for not knowing how to go to their gate especially as occasionally there is very little time between when the gate is announced, when boarding starts, and when boarding shows as closing. Most of us know exactly where we need to go the moment a gate number appears, but many occasional passengers may not. Airlines such as AF, KL, and LX are able to tell passengers on their flight which gates connecting flights will leave from and this allows people to make use of onboard magazine maps and connection tips if they are worried about getting lost. To me, it gives a general feeling of impracticality and of having more regard to the convenience of the airport/airline than that of the passengers. The only generally reliable thing is that domestic flights usually leave from gates 1-7 in the main terminal but beyond that...