HAL are enhancing T5
 

Will the more comfortable seating be in the new restaurants?

Be nice if they increased space between the escalators and shops, but can't see that happening!

The main thing I find that's "highly sought after" in T5 is the frickin airplane. It's a station, not a "shopping environment"

Nothing about getting on an aircraft.

Oh, bloody HAL.

:td: :td: :td:

"... Terminal 5 an even better place for our passengers to shop, eat and relax."
As others have said, nothing to do with being an efficient way to get on an aircraft and escape from the bloody place.

I doubt anything will change. It seems to be just using the existing retail space and replacing shops and restaurants with ones they think will bring in more cash.

A lot of people sit at the airport for a fair period of time and don't have access to lounges

If having to wait around for a couple of hours, the quality of the facilities matters.

"A recent survey has shown that our customers want more space to shop, eat and relax. The number of aircraft departures are being enhanced to allow for extra shopping and eating facilities and reduce noise and stress"

I am not familiar with this notion that shopping is relaxing in normal shops, never mind in an airport.

Quite, so get rid of those shops, and put more seats in.

I agree with you here and I think too many on this forum forget what it is like not to have lounge access

Having been in that position until a couple of years ago, I can confirm that the only facilities I sought out were a chair and a beer, not the opportunity to spend money I didn't have on stuff I didn't need.

Quite frankly T5 is a bleeding mess right now, loads of boarded up areas, narrow passageways for Passengers who keep bumping into each other.
Some of the "nicer" eateries, i.e. ITSU and a few cafes are gone, boarded up, only to make space for some stupid fancy shops no one wants tbh. passengers are forced to sit on the floor at these busy times which is hardly great and not good advertisement for an airport or "World hub"-
Its hardly an enhancement, it is just a disgrace, outside of the lounges of course :-)

I have had sight of the concept for "more shopping space". Not 'people space', but "shop space"
HAL makes money from the shops. It does NOT make money from pax sitting around on benches, or whatever the non-Lounge people do.

Therefore, more shops and eateries ... well, a few more.

So the BA Blue Family will be rushing off to Harrods to buy loads of things, and hoovering Caviar at an eatery, while waiting for their delayed flight to <insert destination>. Or not, but I suppose you can't blame HAL for trying.

The sadness is that a brand-new major Airport Terminal was turned into a Shopping Mall that sells things that 97% of people don't want/need. In the process, the basic function of T5 was made a seriously inconvenient maze for the uninitiated, and a PITA for the regular travellers.

I dislike T5 more every time I pass through it. And it will be worse, as free-flow of passengers is further obstructed by shops.

Let's be positive - at least it's not Stansted. :p

^

An airport is useful to me only for boarding planes to take me somewhere. If I can find a chair, a window and a drink, I'm happy.