I think some do see the airport through rose tint specs. It has some excellent aspects, but overall is a national embarrassment.
ATC - really good. The controllers are sharp and reliable, and have a sense of humour too.
Fire crew - seem well equipped (love the three new appliances!) and respond quickly.
New terminal - check-in and departure hall are reasonable, though the ends of the downstairs need to be full glazed for more light.
Holding time - next to nil most times of day, though peak hours can see up to 10 mins for departure. I have held for arrival twice in 15 years, both times due to snow clearing (used to be bad, but now is well controlled).
Old terminal -abysmal; leaking roofs with buckets all over the place, the grey corridors are a mess and look like a botch, but worse are the permanent portacabin gates 1-4. The arrivals area is worn out and badly laid out with cracked floors and an uncared for appearance. The apron behind the old terminal, for gates 1-6 is ridiculous, forcing pax to wait out in the weather under what look like bike sheds, and cause delays for SPecial Branch reasons.
Access - dire. The train link is understandable, but a subterranean station with tunnelled spur would be viable, if the govt were serious about investment in infrastructure and London airports (I know such a project would be hiddeously expensive). At least some improvements for road access are on the way, but staff parking is also a problem and the plans show nothing for that. Aeroplanes don't fly without crews, and shops don't work without staff either - it seems the plan has only remembered the staff employed by the airport itself.
Basically, the old half of the aiport needs demolishing and starting again from scratch to have two linked terminals, not this current hotch-potch of one terminal spread across two unrelated buildings, an infestation of extensions and portacabins and a load of unfinished, unfurnished corridors.