Main gripes are:
- lack of a fast-flowing route from S lounges escalators to low-numbered A gates. It’s just too cluttered and crowded at the moment with champagne bars, adverts and screens.
- calling B/C gates too late for long hauls. The plane is usually there well before the gate is called and if boarding starts at t-45 mins and gate isn’t called until t-60 mins you’re going to have a huge flow of people out to the satellites especially for an A380 then a scrum at the gate. That said we usually walk so at least aren’t crammed into the transits.
- an airside “First Wing” for F/OWE connections. It’s often quicker to go landside and back airside via F wing than use fast track FC route especially now the Int-Dom eGates are (mostly) operational.
But all told, it’s not bad for such a large terminal for both status and non-status passengers. I like the sense of space and airiness of T5. There are many, many terminals that are much worse.