For the normal reasons [queues, lack of seating, border control chaos etc] I have avoided STN for the last couple of years. I have just returned from a round trip through STN, and to be fair the experience was not too bad, but I did travel out mid- morning and return mid-afternoon, so outside the peak periods. Even so, the lack of seating, even mid-morning, was noticeable.
What I found amusing, was that after passing through security, and traipsing through the shopping 'experience' was to see the numerous posters telling me that I could turn round and return to the shops!
I get the feeling that the retailers at the beginning of the 'shopping experience' are feeling a little aggrieved that their potential customers are walking straight past their premises, in search of a seat and a cup of tea.
Of course, in the old 'pre-improvement' days, you could sit down, have a cup of tea, and the shops would be all around you! No need to walk back 50 yards against the traffic flow in order to buy a gigantic Toblerone as is the case now.