Russian experience
Came back from St Petersburg last week. Got to the airport 2.5 hours before flight and needed almost all of that to get from entrance to the gate. Queue started outside the terminal. Eventually gets to one of two doors into security about an hour later. Through security itself relatively quickly. All pile into crowded room for check in. Everybody has to climb through the first lines to get to whatever check in they want. Complete chaos. Next queue for passport control. Each person takes an age. Then queue for the communal entrance to gates. Once through to gate get on bus to the plane, only our driver went first to the wrong plane..... Believe me Heathrow isnt so bad!