I want to reheat this thread, as I feel it is time for a renewed push to restore or create spectators' balconies, as part of a broader aim of making flying more about flying (and less about shopping).
The world is changing: The Arab Spring; Twitter; containment of al-Qaeda; China and India as economic powerhouses; e-society and i-society; Croatia joining the EU; rise of Ryanair and loco revolution; fall of Malev and legacy flag carrier carnage; new generation of airliners like the 380, 787 and 747-8; and demise of others in their wake.
Today it's about customer choice and demand, consultation and communication as much as rationalisation, globalisation and austerity.
Airports and airlines exist to make money for owners/shareholders through selling services to their customers (passengers and cargo, but also parkers and shoppers). What can we do to make it worth their while to have more people coming to airports specifically to watch and learn about planes, operations and flying, or to wave off or meet passengers?