Originally Posted by
irishguy28
But they don't. They want to "trap" you in a central terminal area, and by doing so are more likely to extract more cash out of you through their dining and retail "experiences".
It's not an uncommon feature of airports to withhold gate information until the last moment; particularly when the gate facilities are constructed simply to facilitate the immediate departure of the passengers, and therefore are lacking in facilities.
I'm sure I've read that, under the new MAG management, in response to passenger feedback they're putting up gate information a bit earlier than they used to (in the dying days of BAA ownership I think it was all a bit desperate).
Of course the quid-pro-quo for such a thing is the "vast improvement" to your "departure experience" (their words), i.e. an overhauled departure lounge with lots of new retail opportunities. That said, if they are going to exist, perhaps it's preferable that they're better, and work to attract people in their own right rather than just as prisoners. (Not that I'm going to be an airport retail convert any time soon!)
The absurd walk-through 'Duty free' shop after security and before the departure lounge is absurd though, and I wish upon it many broken bottles of spirits and eau de toilette courtesy of errant baggage!