Hello chaps,
Been reading with interest about all the probs you have at EGLL T4 with stands!!
I work at Gatwick and I've now come to the conclusion that the airport/apron authorities who decide on stand allocation have no idea what they are doing.
At Gatwick we frequently have aircraft which arrive (both long and short haul) and their stand is occupied or unavailable for some reason. However ,since we seem to have become somewhat quieter apres 9/11, we usually have a plethora of unnoccupied stands which they could use. (NOT only in the same terminal but often adjacent stands!! So the argument about customs, baggage handlers and ground crews etc goes out the window in my view!!)
This is a NIGHTMARE for us folks in the tower and all it takes is two or three a'c to have to "hold" and the apron becomes rapidly gridlocked!! Hence why you hear a rapidly harrassed GMC controller on the RT for the next while.
SO lads at heathrow my heart goes out to you but don;t be fooled into thinking that the BAA would do anything about it even if you had the stands to spare !!