I had the privilege of watching a bunch of (6 or 7) French engineers make an impromptu visit to the ticket desk (of the airline I worked for) at Charles de Gaulle airport and work their magic, running comms and power with no fuss, just teamwork and that brilliant "why not now?" European attitude.

Meanwhile back at Heathrow that would have taken months of permits and planning and dealing with useless subcontractors.

State monopolies FTW.