Edinburgh Airport rated the UK's worst for baggage reclaim waiting times
The terminal also ranked fifth bottom for passenger satisfaction among 27 main airports
Edinburgh Airport has been rated the worst of 27 across the UK for baggage waiting times - and fifth worst overall - according to a survey by consumer group Which?
The poor showing comes days after The Scotsman highlighted the latest of a series of withering criticisms of Scotland’s busiest airport by regular travellers, when a former MP condemned it as a “disorganised, unwelcoming shambles”.
But the airport dismissed the Which? findings as “misleading” and said they were based on the “recollections of a relatively small number of passengers”.
The survey, of 355 passengers in April and May, gave Edinburgh a 61 per cent customer score compared to 68 per cent at Aberdeen (99 people surveyed) and 70 per cent at Glasgow (209).
Baggage at Edinburgh Airport is the responsibility of the airlines’ handling agents - Swissport, Menzies Aviation and Aviation Services.
Edinburgh was given only one of five stars for baggage reclaim wait, the lowest of any airport, which compared to three for Glasgow and two at Aberdeen.
It was also one of only two one-star ratings in any category at any airport, the other being for seating at Stansted.
Edinburgh received two stars for passport control queues [which are the responsibility of UK Border Force], seating, and food and drink outlets, and three stars for customer service, check-in queues, airport security queues and cleanliness.
Glasgow was given five stars for cleanliness, four for customer service and three in the other categories.
Aberdeen also received five stars for cleanliness, and four for security queues, with three in the other categories.
One passenger told the Which? survey about Edinburgh: “It's running at overcapacity. Crowded, too many flights for the space, not clean enough and difficulty in finding seats.”
Another said: “Edinburgh airport feels cramped and it is not a good experience on arrival, too many stairs and just seems not up to a standard that other airports adopt. Feels unclean and passenger pick up arrangements are diabolical.”
A third said: “Just felt there was no consideration of how to treat customers other than as cattle to be herded.”
Other comments included: “The organisation for far away gates is terrible”, “Was dirty and unclean”, “Everything was too expensive" and “Terrible queues at security, cafe shopping area has lack of seating and is very expensive".
However, another passenger said: “Easy check-in, no queues, fast track security good, lounge good, information screens up to date.”
Another said: “Excellent service and support”.
Former Dunfermline SNP MSP Douglas Chapman told The Scotsman the delays his family experienced after arriving back from Madeira in the early hours last week were a “new low” after experiencing the airport’s “shortcomings” during nine years of travelling to and from Westminster.
He criticised passenger handling at passport control - which is the responsibility of UK Border Force - and delays to the family’s baggage, which was the responsibility of their airline Jet2’s handling agent Swissport. The hold-up meant they missed their bus and took a £50 taxi home.
He said: “Scottish people in particular seem appalled by the first impression of Scotland any arriving tourist gets as they arrive in Edinburgh to this disorganised, unwelcoming shambles.
“Compare that with our holiday destination, where our bag was on the belt before we got off the plane, we had a taxi lined up for the hotel with a €25 fixed fare and, most of all, airport staff were on hand to give us a warm welcome and a bright building gave us a great first impression of our holiday destination.”
The experience prompted The Scotsman reader Jill Stephenson to write: “The failure on the part of these people to understand the fury that is widespread about the inadequacies of Edinburgh Airport, and their shameless self-congratulation, demonstrates that they have no conception of ‘customer care’ or of how to run an airport.”
The airport, which is on course to top last year’s passenger record of 17 million, is embarking on a major expansion programme expected to cost around £1 billion.
Exeter airport was rated best overall in the survey with 83 per cent, followed by Liverpool John Lennon and London City.
Manchester terminal three was bottom with 52 per cent, followed by Luton, Manchester terminal two and Stansted.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “If you’re flying into Edinburgh, skip the checked bag - it was the only airport to score a single star for the length of time passengers waited at baggage claim.
You're better off travelling with hand luggage only.
“Passengers also complained of Edinburgh's queues at passport control when returning to the UK.”
Kate Pasola, who worked on the Which? research, said: “A wisely chosen airport in 2026 isn’t necessarily the one with the best restaurants, the most interesting and varied shops, nor even the closest to home.
“It’s the airport with efficient layouts that minimise stress and get you to the gate on time. The one with somewhere to sit down, real human staff who will answer questions or help you if you’re struggling, and speedy security and well-managed queues.
“When we asked passengers to rate airport queues for more than 8,000 trips they had taken in the previous year, some travellers reported frustrations over the growing expense of navigating airports and the prioritisation of profit over travellers’ needs.
“We heard about fewer seats (apart from those in cafés and restaurants), ‘rip-off’ drop-off fees, and ‘exhausting’ layouts.
“And while pressure to spend money en route to the gate has long been an issue, travellers' increasing anxiety and stress mean patience may be wearing thin.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Our survey once again this year shows that some airports set a better standard - going above and beyond - from five-star cleanliness to well-managed queues, customer service with a genuine smile, plus inclusive, accessible layouts and top-quality special assistance.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport: “As we've made clear before, Which?'s reports are based on the recollections of a relatively small number of passengers rather than the airport’s actual operational data.
“They are misleading and do not provide an accurate picture of airport performance.
“The report also does not reflect the respective responsibilities of the organisations involved at UK airports.
“For example, baggage handling is the responsibility of airlines and their handling agents.”
The airport said the 355 passengers surveyed were just 0.002 per cent of the 17 million passengers it handled last year.
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