In retrospect, it’s easy to see where foresight was lacking. Retrospect is always the best seat in the house. How often do we think, ‘Why didn’t they think of that before they started?’ and how rarely, ‘How clever they were to think of that!’

On the one hand…

How I hate airport departure gates without power sockets. You end up crouching near the one that’s used for the vacuum cleaner, if someone else hasn’t got there first.

How I hate hotel bedrooms without extra power sockets, too, as if they were built before the notebook PC or the mobile phone were invented (sometimes they were). You crawl under the desk to disconnect the minibar or the television.

(I can’t live far from a power socket, obviously.)

And on the other hand…

How brilliantly the London Olympics of 2012 were planned. They thought of everything.

In Prague I’ve come across both foresight (on a massive scale) and the lack of it. Both concern the airport.

On the one hand…

How brilliantly the Prague Airport Authority has planned for future expansion (or did they just get their sums wrong?). Terminal 2, opened some years ago, has space for at least twice as many check-in desks as are currently in use. There’s a vast empty space that isn’t used at all, not even for badminton.

And on the other hand…

How could they have forgotten to build an escalator at the recently opened metro station that joins up with the airport bus? Passengers arrive with masses of heavy luggage and there’s just a long flight of steps to the bus.

Prague’s transport planners are currently a laughing stock. It has something to do with limited EU funds, apparently. The solution? Prague Airport pays two porters to help you with your luggage. See them here.