Damning verdict on Edinburgh Airport in Scotsman readers’ response to state of terminal
Two thirds said things have got worse over past five years
A damning verdict on the state of Edinburgh Airport has come in a straw poll of Scotsman readers, nearly two-thirds of whom gave it just four out of ten or less.
More than two in three of those who took part in the survey also said it had got worse over the last five years, with just one in 20 saying things had improved.
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The results follow four days of in-depth coverage in our Fit to Fly? series about Scotland’s busiest airport, in which high-profile business and political figures have criticised failings such as long baggage delays and passport queues.
The poll of more than 400 people who responded to our appeal for their experiences of the airport showed nearly one in five rated the airport as “terrible” - giving it one out of ten - while just one in 100 said it was “brilliant”.
Luggage handling, drop-off and parking, and seating and waiting areas, were voted the areas needing the most improvement.
One respondent said: “Arrival an absolute disgrace to Scotland - dirty, slow, disorganised”, while another said: “Luggage takes an absurd amount of time”.
A further passenger complained about the “total lack of customer focus (especially passport control crowding, extremely slow baggage reclaim, delayed transport from aircraft upon landing, non-response to written complaints) and clear abdication of responsibility from airport senior management.”
Among numerous complaints about the arrival experience, one passenger said: “The worst time was when delayed one night, arriving late at night. We disembarked at around midnight and were waiting for our bags until 2.45am. No staff, no information.”
Another wrote: “Just a few weeks ago, it took almost three hours from touch down to leaving the Fast Park.
“No arrival gates available, buses took forever to arrive at the plane parked at a remote stand, then we had to queue in the rain outside the arrivals shed before enduring the near assault course journey to passport control where half the machines were out of action and queue was up the stairs. Thank God had no luggage to collect.”
However, some passengers praised the improved security process, transport connections and range of destinations.
Edinburgh Airport continued to insist most of its passengers were happy. It said thousands were surveyed every month, including when they logged on to the airport wifi, and the “vast majority” of responses were positive.
However, it has not said what proportion of responses were from arriving passengers. In the wifi link survey, there are no questions about the arrivals experience or baggage reclaim.
The fast-growing airport, which expects to handle a record of nearly 18 million passengers this year, has embarked on a £500 million terminal expansion plan over the next five years.
New chief executive Mark Johnston has admitted there are “areas of the operation where improvement is required”, such as for arriving passengers.
Stuart Turnbull, an Edinburgh-based transport consultant, called for a six-month improvement plan involving the airport and all the other bodies involved.
He said: “It's still a much better experience than many other airports I've been through, and they are generally doing a decent job in keeping pace with the exceptional growth in passenger numbers.”
However, Edinburgh architect Benjamin Tindall, who worked on the then new airport terminal in the 1970s, said: “As a welcome to Scotland, it must rank as one of the most miserable experiences possible.”
Travel writer Robin McKelvie said: “I come through international arrivals at Edinburgh Airport at least once a month and it’s almost always a horrible experience - and embarrassing with shocked non-Scots next to me.
“Edinburgh is among the worst airports for arrivals in Europe. Not always been like this, so something has gone badly wrong.”
Travel finance expert Josh Bandura, who co-founded the Frugal Flyer website, said: “Edinburgh can keep adding routes, but route counts tell you what the airport sells, not what it delivers.
“Queues at passport control and a slow baggage belt hit travellers at the end of a journey, when the’re tired and have nothing left to spend on patience, and that is the bit they remember when they book next time.
“A revamp is a chance to close that gap. It only works if the spend follows the passenger all the way to the car park, rather than stopping at check-in."
Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Paul Sweeney said: “These findings will make troubling reading for Edinburgh Airport.
“It is clear that passenger satisfaction is not where it should be, and that this has fallen in the last five years.
"Bosses must consider the findings and take steps to improve the customer experience."
Reform UK Scotland transport spokesperson Graham Simpson said: “The new boss is right that baggage handling is the biggest bugbear for passengers and needs big improvements.
“Departure security is much quicker than it used to be but arrival queues are still a problem and, combined with the baggage issues, only adds to the people’s frustration.
“Edinburgh Airport is successful and growing but it will only stay that way if it can compete properly with the best elsewhere.”
Edinburgh and Lothians East Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “Edinburgh Airport is a gateway to Scotland and hugely important for our economy, but passengers are clearly increasingly sick of their experiences at it.
“They must not be left paying more for poorer and poorer services at the capital’s airport.”
Edinburgh West Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said: “I am aware of the concerns surrounding Edinburgh Airport. I will be meeting the new chief executive in the near future.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “We survey thousands of passengers a month and the vast majority of responses are positive.
“We recognise there’s always room for improvement, and our £500m investment programme, Our Future, is designed to address current challenges and ensure we’re ready for future growth.”
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