The problem is not so much landing as it is leaving. Not only do you have
to get ATC clearance, but the problem of getting sufficient separation to
avoid wake turbulence can cause major delays. You can find yourself
sitting in the grass waiting for a line of jets to clear.

I just happened to post about that on another newsgroup yesterday, so
I'll repeat it here with minor changes:

I haven't found that getting in or out of big airports is a problem,
except at rush hours, when everyone else waits in line, too.

At DCA, the tower guys are sharp; they clear me to land my Chrokee on
one of the two cross-runways while the big iron is landing or taking
off on the long one (18-36).

They get me out the same way, while the big jets suffer long waiting
lines. One morning, after sleeping in the lounge because the
thunderstorms had closed the field, I heard ATIS saying to expect a
two-hour delay in departing. Ground cleared me to runway 3 and then
the tower cleared me to take off between two jets taking off on 36. I
was out of there about as fast as if I'd had the field to myself.

Little guys are treated just as well as the big guys. Once I called
Dulles approach and was cleared in. The next voice
said, in a heavy accent,

"Dooles Approach, thees ees Air Frawnce 224, landing Dooles."

Dulles came back, "Air France 224, you're number two behind the
Cherokee."

Made my day!

I always get "into the system" by requesting flight following long
before I arrive at a big airport. (I do it on almost all flights,
anyway.) That way, Approach Control is expecting me, I get handed off
to them and it goes like clockwork.

vince norris