OK...hold your bashing fire for now.
Any delay waiting for stands is possibly because the airport has become a victim of it's own success! Some of the big problems have arisen from:
- Losing Stand 4 for several months while the International Departure Lounge is enlarged (to cope with more flights)
- The increase in B737NGs and A320s (as a result of new operators such as bmi) with their larger wingspan has required some stands to be reduced in width - for example 11 can only take up to J41 size - no good if a Saab or Dash 8 is waiting for 12/13 to become free (again, more flights).
- New routes such as BHD/OSL/BLK/CPH/LPL/AGP and not forgetting all the NWIs you can shake a stick at
- (yes, more flights being the culprit again)
The airport movements and pax are significantly higher than recent years - this is to the benefit of those who work there, those that travel from there and for the city as a whole - so I don't think that aspect should be bashed. Now, investment in things like runway extensions and parking areas does seem non-existant, especially compared to projects like the Gatwick Sky Bridge and T5 of course - and that part is frustrating!
The Echo Apron restrictions only came into force last Thursday - because of the limited timescale and the fact that very few aircraft that parked there would now park on a main apron stand, I don't think that aspect can be blamed for the holding to any great degree.