The walk-through check in idea sounds pretty good. United have something similar at their ORD Terminal 1 and it streamlines things quite nicely (there's no backtracking - people just keep walking past check-in into the security line).

The BAA obsession with retail outlets and sticking adverts to every conceivable surface gets worse every time I pass through LHR. This evening I see they have now plastered every square inch of the baggage belts at T1 with adverts for the HEX, and put up yet more hoardings promoting the Arrivals shop.

When are they going to realise that their most regular users would rather BAA invested in the core services (like delivering baggage promptly to the reclaim hall, tackling long lines at security, getting Fast Track to work properly (at T1 - it rarely seems much quicker than the normal line up these days, AND they seem to use it to relieve pressure from the main lines, defeating the whole object of the Fast Track idea), etc)? I don't mind having a shopping centre attached to the Departures Area but this seems to suck up more investment than the actual terminal facilities these days...