Airport processing - a complete rethink
This topic has been discussed before but is maybe worth a separate thread.
Airport processing of passengers has become cumbersome because the old-days approach has just been tinkered with rather than radically rethought. If security clearance and check-in was performed at the GATE, in front of the aircraft, and baggage delivery and customs/immigration check on arrival, rather than the present locations then the following benefits seem to accrue:
Pax do not get lost or delayed by security between check-in and aircraft.
No concerns about separation of arriving and departing pax.
No need to do baggage reconciliation. no chance of baggage being misrouted.
Connecting pax go through the same security procedures
Whole terminal up to the gates can be open territory for those accompanying passengers, avoiding much of the wheelchair operation.
Utilisation of security screeners and customs/immigration can be little less than the present, with appropriate organisation. They come, process, pass on to next flight.
No concerns for pax about the aircraft leaving without them as they are stuck in security queues.
There is no need for pax to be relieved of their baggage at check-in like in the old "carriage trade" days. Distances from car park or train are anyway often much greater than the distance in the terminal.
Opportunities for shopping for all, not just passengers (so will appeal to BAA).