Why do airports not disclose the departure gate until the last moment?

Yes, it has happened to me at a large number of airports. The only time that I can remember finding out the gate early was at Faro airport in Portugal. I arrived a couple of hours early and was quite surprised to see that the gate was already listed. This made a great difference to me because I located the gate and then found a local cafe to have a coffee, which meant that I was in the right area when boarding was announced.

This could be a horror if you are in transit and have very less time especially in big airports. Thanks God I was lucky not to suffer these situations as my travels went very smoothly. I think these scenarios occurred when you are there LOL!

I have been wondering about the fact that you say that you know at check in. This may be a significant factor because I have not checked in at the airport for many years now. I never take much luggage and therefore carry a cabin bag only. This means that I can check in online a week or so before flying and print my boarding pass, so if the gate is listed on the boarding pass at the airport then I will not see it. I honestly cannot remember back to when I used to check in luggage and get a boarding pass from the airport.

They usually inform passengers which terminal they will fly from, but many terminals are quite large and have numerous gates to board from. You tend to discover which gate is being used when the announcement for boarding is made, or at least that is the case in my experience so far. This can necessitate a decent walk from wherever you happen to be at the last moment.

It certainly can be annoying, especially since there is no real justifiable reason for it. I have a problem with walking quickly because the veins in my legs are narrowed which gives rise to oxygen depravation much more quickly. The only airport that I have seen that gives advance notice was faro in Portugal. I arrived a few hours before the flight and the gate was already listed. I was able to stroll around to locate the gate, then wander around for a while and make my way back to the right area in plenty of time. I then bought a coffee at the nearest café to the gate, which was very convenient.

This would be a major problem, especially in the case of a connecting flight because if you miss the flight you are totally stranded. It would be extremely annoying to miss a flight from your local airport and have to go back home, but to miss a connection is unthinkable.

I envy you because I really hate large airports. My local airport is Manchester, but it is quite a large airport and if I end up flying from terminal 3 it is a very way to go from the railway station. I try to book flights from Liverpool, which is far more comfortable due to being a small and compact airport. I flew to Barcelona a few months ago and was horrified to discover how large the airport is. I actually became concerned that I may miss my arranged transfer coach because it took so long to walk there. I am always happier with an airport like Reus, Prague or Krakow.