I'm all for customer choice, and the power of the customer. As a frontline BA employee, I am one of the "apologists" that you hear when the buses don't turn up or the BAA jetty doesn't work, or the deicing rigs arent allowed on a stand to de-ice because the BAA H&S police have forbidden it.
If BA goes under, who/what do you think will replace them? Do you think the new incumbent will fare better given LHR's creaking infrastructure?
Are you willing to pay more to expand and upgrade Heathrow Airport?
Sadly, for UK plc, most of us aren't willing to pay. Thankfully, for the residents of Sibson, we have procedures to follow before peoples' houses can be bulldozed to make away for improvements.
Anybody that has transited through DXB or PVG can see the advantages of a totalitarian state with their brand new state of the art terminals.
I'm afraid , that thanks to planning constraints, buses are necessary for the life of T5 and T3.
It would be nice if BA could get its own way at its home base like AF do at CDG or LH at FRA. However, that wouldn't sit well with the British way of fighting with one arm tied behind your back.