SInce I’m actively sweating....”The APU on this aircraft is not working” should be a standard announcement that causes the groups to be boarded in reverse order. PDB should then be issued at the gate.

Lack of signs and few display screens.
LAX is an example. Getting from a domestic terminal to the international terminal should be clearly marked. I cannot imagine how nonEnglish speakers figure it out.

Lack of TSA PreCheck at SAN in the main terminal, after 5pm. Pretty major airport that acts like a small town airport. TSA sucks at this location, but I guess I'm spoiled with real TSA at pretty much every other airport of similar size.

Or better yet, FT killing my browser, computer, while waiting.

Is this the norm at SAN? I and many others were shocked. T2 PreCheck was still open per my colleague at the same time. I just SAN a message at how screwed up they are.

I don't fly many late flights so I can't say for sure. I do remember that even if official PreCheck is closed you still get some of the benefits.

Had PreCheck light for my departure, which means I pull liquids, computer, IPad. Third world airport experience. That and the crowded bus from car rental back to the terminal, like DEN and PHX. Another fail. My wife and I love San Diego, but typical California BS keeps us from moving.

In fairness, there's not exactly much in the way of better options for the car rental facility considering space constraints. At least the buses have their own private road for part of the way.

(Also, speaking of the third world, last time I flew through Mexico I didn't have to take anything out or go through millimeter wave scanners. This was a few years ago though.)

DEN, PHX, SAN. All should have a train between the airport and car rental. Sort of like SFO. I give small airports a pass, such as ABQ.

DFW is another one like that. When you arrive at a terminal, the master display screens showing what gates your connection is at can be very far away. There should be more of them, and not necessarily ONLY where the trams are.

Moving "sidewalks" which don't move as well as escalators.

As I've traveled through a number of foreign countries I've been thankful that signs in English are common-- at least at the major airports. Elsewhere, picture-signs help a lot. But in the U.S. many of our major airports have text-only, English-only signs. And sometimes they're worded poorly enough that even native speakers can be confused trying to follow them. I feel for foreign visitors trying to navigate these airports to change terminals, find the taxi stand, etc.

How?

Other than the occasional duty free purchase I cannot remember the last time I spent anything at an airport... the only near exception was at Manchester Airport which charged 50p for 2 clear bags for liquids but then someone gave me one of theirs. We normally fly from LHR or occasionally LGW and there are no mandatory charges for anything and naturally use the lounges (either with priority pass, status or travel class) and so free food/drinks etc.

The following are fairly common:

Premium fares for some forms of public transport.
Fees to drop off and pick up at the terminal.
Fees for Uber waiting areas (passed on to customer).
Premium location fees for car hire.
Inflated car parking prices.
Fees for shuttle buses that were previously free.
At-airport departure fees.
Artificially restricted main security to drive traffic to pay-at-airport premium security.
Cosy arrangements with "preferred" taxi companies (particularly when the airport is outside the main urban area it's serving).
Inflated post-security prices (especially for drinks).

LHR/LGW/LCY passengers are, to an extent, protected from this, as the airports aren't quite as LCC-heavy as elsewhere.