'It defies logic’: Passengers despair at ‘woeful’ Edinburgh Airport arrivals
While the departure experience at Edinburgh has been praised, the airport insists it is not responsible for arrivals services
Edinburgh business leaders have branded the standard of arrivals at Edinburgh Airport as “woefully inadequate”, urging the country’s busiest airport to urgently prioritise customer experience amid expansion plans.
Dozens of business people have shared their dissatisfaction over the international arrivals experience at the airport, including “tarmac locks”, baggage delays and shabby “back door” entrances.
Edinburgh Airport is clear that it is not responsible for all services at the airport, with operations like the deboarding of passengers and baggage reclaim managed by airline-contracted handlers rather than the airport itself.
Mark Gorman, the co-founder of the Edinburgh-based creative consultancy Elvis is Dead, blasted the airport over two “farcical” experiences he has had at the airport in the last fortnight.
He described how carnage ensued when his flight arrived into Edinburgh from Porto at 1am last week, and there were no rear steps available for passengers to depart the plane despite the airfield being “deserted” at that time in the morning.
Then, a week later, friends he was collecting from the airport were delayed by 45 minutes after landing due to a shortage of steps and buses to transport passengers to the terminal.
He said on occasions where no airbridges are in place, passengers entering the building are made to feel like “illegal immigrants”, taken through a ground-floor entrance, up steps and through empty corridors.
“It’s the walk of death,” he said. “You’re taken through what looks like a tradesman’s entrance, then through filthy corridors with no welcome signs whatsoever.
“It’s not an acceptable way to welcome people to our capital city - a gateway to our country.
He continued: “The departure experience at Edinburgh Airport is excellent - it’s quick and immaculate. It's one of the best I’ve ever come across.
“It defies logic that you can get one side of the equation so right and the other so wrong.”
Responsibility for deboarding passengers, including providing aircraft steps, rests with an airline-contracted ground handling firm and not the airport.
Baggage reclaim is also managed by an airline-contracted handling agent and is not under the airport’s control.
The appearance and upkeep of the terminal is the airport’s responsibility, however, with the exception of the immigration hall which is run by the UK Border Force.
David Reid, the managing director of the brand and marketing consultancy Because Brands Matter, took to LinkedIn to share his frustrations, with his post receiving over 1,000 likes and 300 comments.
He said: “I've defended Edinburgh Airport for years. Like many residents I've greatly benefitted from increased routes, access to interesting and unusual countries and pretty decent air fares.
“But enough is enough - the airport has clearly grown too big too quickly and the customer experience, particularly for international arrivals is woefully inadequate.”
Commenting in response, CRAK Marketing founder Graeme Atha said: “It’s time the business community - not to mention politicians got involved to do something about it.
“Edinburgh and Scotland is a premium destination but the visitor arrival experience is third rate at best. Not only are the entrances, corridors and stairs tough to navigate they are soulless and depressing. And often just dirty.
“It doesn’t need to be this way. Lots of small countries and cities across Europe and the Baltic states have first class airports that are a joy to experience.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “Not every part of the airport journey is delivered by Edinburgh Airport. Many of the issues highlighted relate to services provided by airlines, handling agents or Border Force, and it’s important that distinction is reflected.
“The passenger journey is shaped by a range of organisations working together across the airport, and all of them need to be performing well to deliver a seamless experience. We continue to work closely with those partners while delivering a £500 million investment programme that will transform the airport and enhance the experience for millions of passengers.”
The terminal expansion project promises significant improvements to airport infrastructure, passenger facilities and operations, and it is understood the immigration hall will be replaced as part of the redevelopment.
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