ginger50

I am not sure I agree with you there. We don't know HAL's business model and so cannot speculate as to how they calculate profit from retail vs profit from customer services. If they get greater profitability from retail than customer services then they will tend to make CS the poor cousin. Witness the crowded nature of the transfer area.... knocking down a few shops and providing more space for passengers would not occur to an organisation fixated on retail rather that what should be their prime role.... getting passengers to and from aircraft.

Other countries are able to sort out their national airport hubs without them being crowded with shops and other stuff irrelevant to the task in hand, and those places have a much more open feel. I would cite HEL, SIN, HKG and KUL as good examples of this.

Personally I detest the stench of ghastly perfume that I am forced to walk through, I resent the fact that HAL force me to go past all of the shops to get to the lounge. I make a point of NOT buying anything there and waiting until I get to a shop that I need, when I need it.

I am sorry, but stuff their shops and their retail plans, if I have to pay more to get to my flight then I would welcome the opportunity!

chistery

So how will you get from Security South to the Galleries South?

corporate-wage-slave

Slightly confusing quote there. There are two sets of escalators by South Security going down, one which everyone uses just outwith Harrods, and one that seems to be for my exclusive use inside the Harrods store. Regrettably for me (but no one else seems to have noticed its existence) the Harrods escalator was boarded up months ago. But the main escalator is and will remain in service. So in short nothing changes there: if you don't have access to the Millionaires' Door, turn left after South Security towards Plane Food, and around the escalator to go down, then straight on to the South Lounges escalator.

My understanding is that the Harrods escalator is being removed, in order to facilitate the WDF store is being moved slightly towards the apron (eastwards), and the relatively narrow stores on the west side will be gaining space by creeping eastwards.

Now that's good news for people who want to walk along the main drag between North and South because at the moment there is a pinch point on the front entrance side to WDF: there isn't a lot of space between the lifts/escalor gubbins and store itself. That's the area were staff are standing with the perfume drench. So if that corridor shifts over there will be a clearer rat run for anyone not in consumer reverie dawdle mode, with the escalator more central to the corridor.

binman

Was in T5 last week and agree with comment that it is a bloody mess, particularly around the lounge complex escalators where no doubt a lot of effort is going into relieving many of the well healed of their money in exchange for overpriced tat.
I also noticed that the prices in the shops have risen, in my view significantly. Like others I try to buy things at overseas destinations as they are invariably cheaper, however the odd bottle when heading to the states does make into my handbag. Not any more, Malts and Cognac both overpriced and indeed both cheaper in my local supermarket and more so in Costco.
If you want bacardi or smirnoff its fine but the price differential only makes buying sensible if your taking it away to save on hotel prices. Otherwise just not worth it.

Despite the works, T5 remains the best of a bad bunch at LHR. T3 is simply vile and the yellow brick road to get through the shops utterly frustrating. IMHO. .....that reminds - Glasgow has adopted the same chicane of a route to get from security to gate, bloody frustrating and time consuming.

leaveamessage

Exactly.
Worth noting that you can already get a VAT rebate when buying from a UK LV store, which after the rebate company (global blue IIRC) takes a cut, ends up at about 13% ish discount if I remember correctly.
Whether things airside are cheaper overall remains to be seen, but I predict the store will do very well indeed regardless.

chistery

Ah thanks. I wasn't aware of your exclusing one in Harrods but then I've always managed to avoid going in there.

I'm looking forward to trying T2 out. At least it has a John Lewis.

Tobias-UK

So where do you think they would recoup their lost revenue?

V10

I am not as it happens, but I will point out that shopping doesn't do an awful lot for Mrs. V10 either. So it's not completely infallible.

Brussels Airport has relatively recently made it so that everyone gets routed *through* a shop after passing through passport control on the way to departures. This does of course also involve coming out the other side smelling like a tart's boudoir thanks to the replete and abundant perfumery positioned next to the walkway as it vaguely snakes its way through the facility.

This is probably worse, at least T5 hasn't gone as far as forcing me into the shops themselves. At least, not yet.

cziwkga

That particular pinch point can be avoided by walking straight between the escalator and the lifts rather than veering left or right. The street furniture tries to discourage you from doing this but there's room enough for one to pass through. As with your experience with the Harrods escalator, c-w-s, I sometimes think it's there for my personal use as I've never seen anyone else go through there

corporate-wage-slave

Interesting, I hadn't noticed that one but it does make sense, thank you for sharing!!!

T8191

c-w-s ... Who else would have a semi-private secret escalator

However, it sums up my opinion of the awfulness of T5. You have to have an expert to avoid the damned shops, or sneak through them to get from A to B (via C, D, E, F).

It's such a shame. Supposedly UK's flagship terminal, and it's a total unergonomic (?) mess after BagDrop.

ginger50

I understand your point, but I would like to know how much would be lost and how much they would need to charge pax as a result. We don't know what HAL makes from retail and what affect this has on the cost of our airport experience. If HAL published a paper telling me that each transit I make through T5 is £50 cheaper because of the retail activity that would help. My concern is that as a commercial entity, HAL has lost the plot because as a for profit organisation they seem to be more interested in retail sales than they are in the provision of passenger services.

Looking at SIN for example, there is an airport that clearly puts passengers before retail, and what a superb thing it is.

T5 is an airport first and a retail opportunity second. I think that HAL see it the other way around.

T8191

Ginger50 ... Agree entirely with your perspective. Sadly, HAL needs revenue from wherever it can get it. Call it prostitution, if you will! Personally I would prefer a nicer airport than a shopping Mall, so I guess I would have to pay a premium to lose the shopping clutter.

I have no idea about competing business plans, I just know that I infinitely prefer IAD (1960s) to LHR. For a pax there (certainly at the mainly-International B-Gates) it's free-flow space for people, with the retail and catering bits along the sides of wide open spaces between the gate seating areas.

HMPS

If you are in the post security area, you are there to catch a flight. You have paid them all already.
Now " How can we help you lighten your wallet ? " Can we take advantage of the time on your hands and tempt you with so many bargains from Duty Free shops ?

jacobitetraveller

I am not a great airport shopper---just the odd single malt or a bottle of scent but I can see why more shops will work for the owners and some travellers

I was interested to read the comparison with SIN maybe that's why so many from that part of the world just love transiting LHR (or other uk or European airports )