East Midlands Airport

Use this East Midlands airport at your peril. It seems the customer is the last consideration at this awful place. Waited above an hour at Thomson check-in where there was no one on duty from Thomson and the queues were crazy. Jet2 check in which was next to us had no queues. Security is a joke. People are herded into a shed which looks like a cattle market. Yet again more and more queuing. We arrived at the airport nearly 3-hours before our flight and nearly didn't make it. No better on return at passport control, long queues and some people outside at 9pm in the dark. Whatever happened to the days of a flight being an enjoyable part of your holiday,

What an earth is going on at East Midlands airport? I have never used it before and was shocked by almost every moment I spent in both departure as well as arrival. Departure. As in almost all of the reviews published on this site it is with security that I had an issue with. Who an earth is responsible for the training and supervision of the staff because they were rude to the point of being aggressive? It appeared that this behaviour has become conditioned to the extent that it had become the norm. Passengers, waiting to go through security, were being herded around as if they were cattle. I heard people being shouted at and I watch people, particularly young mums with babies and young children, being treated in an appalling way. I was disgusted by all that I saw and wanted to try to understand what exactly I was witnessing. I watched for approx. 1.5 hours whilst I stood in the queue waiting for my turn to go through security. The staff looked unhappy, tired and harassed. Not once did I hear anyone of the staff say please or thank you. I saw no one smile and I heard no reassuring small talk to help keep people relaxed through the process. By the time people got to the security conveyor belts, to place their items in the trays, I noticed they were exhibiting an heightened level of anxiety further fuelled by the dismissive and uncaring attitude of the staff. I did feel sorry for the staff because the environment they have to work in is unpleasant. I can only describe it as a corrugated shed. No windows, no pictures. Nothing pleasant about it at all. Arrivals. Again unpleasant. Nothing remarkable to add just more of the same. Staff being unhelpful. In contrast Schiphol airport was a joy. I am not comparing the ambience or the facilities here but the attitude and friendliness of everyone we met from security to the people who worked in the coffee shop at the gate. It costs nothing to be polite, friendly and helpful because after all that brings the best out in people. There is no excuse for what I witnessed in the unprofessional behaviour of the security staff in East Mids. Luckily for me I am not local to this airport so I don't have to go out of my way to avoid this airport in the future. I do feel sorry though for the people, who have this what should be a great facility on their door step, because if I was them I would travel the distance to BHX or MAN.

Arriving 3 hours early to catch flight and still nearly missed it. Car park buses full so had to wait 30 plus minutes for a bus with room. Then the security check area was nearly an hour and a half. It left us 20 minutes to get to the gate and board the plane. Seeing as me and my partner have mobility issues and I walk with a stick the amount of people rushing and pushing there way through it was a joke and a stressful experience. We would have liked to have looked in the duty free, next time I'll set my alarm for 5 hours before I fly. We've just come through Dublin airport and was less than 20 minutes from the check in to departure lounge. What's happening to EMA? Security is paramount but let's get more staff or better machines.

I have chronic painful mobility problems and had booked special assistance while travelling with my sister to Spain from East Midlands Airport. I knew it wouldn't be up to much when the special assistance guy asked if I had checked-in. As there was a huge queue and I can't stand for more than 3 minutes or so, I hadn't. If I could check-in why would I ask for SA? Eventually I was put into a wheelchair by a very disinterested girl who took us to check-in our one suitcase and then pushed me to the departure lounge and asked would I be okay from here? As we're old school we said yes, but my poor sister had to drag 2 x 10 kilo hand luggage and having to push me was no joke. I find airports really challenging as I can't queue and stand and my walking is very limited so to come across this really unhelpful attitude made my journey so much more stressful than it needed to be. On our arrival I have to say everything was so much better and the SA people could not have been better but EMA you really need to sort this out. Being in a wheelchair is the last thing anyone wants, I would so much prefer to be able to visit the shops/bars etc rather than sitting in a wheelchair. I would say, on average, the Spanish and Greek special assistance is the best I've come across.

Airport understaffed and in chaos. Along with at least 50 other people at EMA we missed our flight due to queues of an hour and a half to get through security. We were caught in this queue with no staff available to assist or advise. Staff on security seem demoralised and uninterested and made no attempt to organise the system in order to allow those with imminent flights to get through security in time. The staff blamed Ryanair for having too many flights going at a similar time - I find it hard to believe that EMA cannot calculate how many staff they need in order to process people in a timely fashion. I understand how important good airport security is but every other airport we have used manages to have a good level of security and still ensure that customers can get on their flights. As users of this airport we were made to feel as though we were a nuisance and treated with a complete lack of concern. I have contacted EMA and have so far had no reply.

We arrived in plenty of time going straight through to screening at 5am. It was horrendous 55 minutes to be screened it was obvious a lot of people were worried about missing their flights luckily my flight time was 06.40! I didn't think it could get any worse but returned 4 days later, landing at 23.20. We were allowed off the plane some 25 minutes later to be subjected to more waiting on the bus to allow the massive queues to subside. Some 15 minutes later the horrendous conditions inside the bus were confirmed when someone collapsed forcing them to open the doors only to face more long queues to immigration? We eventually left the airport around 01.30 - absolutely horrendous I will never use this airport again!

Felt this is a very outdated airport. The traffic arrangements are appalling in that cars seem to queue for ages to get through the drop-off zone where so many people are trying to get over the crossing. We got there by taxi at 0530hrs for an early flight to Mexico and had to queue 20 minutes just to get near the drop-off zone. We found the signs around the airport could be much better as we could not find our check-in desk and when we asked and were directed further down the hall, we still could not see it easily. The lady at the Thomson check-in desk was very polite and helpful when we got there. The Express Lounge was of poor quality and we probably would have fared just as well or better had we gone to one of the other eating places in there. I bought a webbing belt with a plastic buckle especially for going through the airport but was still told to take it off. Security staff seem to treat people differently as some had to remove shoes and belts, etc, whilst others didn't. It also seems ridiculous that you have to walk outside to get to the plane these days - most other airports have the covered walkways now. Coming back, we had to cram onto a bus to be transported a very short distance to the Arrivals area. The staff member shouted at us to make sure we all got onto the two buses laid on for about 300 passengers, although they did eventually bring another bus round. The automatic passport control system did not work at one of the desks but the staff member persisted in sending people through it. Overall it seems like an outdated cheap budget airport for cheap budget flights. We have used many airports and this was the worst. We won't fly from here again.

Thomson check in desks efficient and quick, but all downhill from there. Security hall in chaos, had paid for fast track because I had my 93 year old mother with me. Unable to locate fast track lane in chaos and found ourselves channeled down ordinary lanes for 45 minutes queuing. Toilet facilities poor not enough of them and not clean, no soap in dispensers non functioning hand driers. Departure lounge dull and dingy, facilities poor. Arrival almost as chaotic as departures with outside queuing. Flight departures and arrivals all too close together with not enough staff and facilities to cope, presumably to save money. Drop off and pick up charges a rip off.

East Midlands was formerly a lovely local airport but it now continues to deeply disappoint. Ever increasing charges to park or even drop off or collect. Awful security hall and sometimes crowded and chaotic departure hall. Finally that tawdry little Duty Free zone we are all herded through after security. Err, most of the flights are to the EU so what can be duty free about that? Just another excuse to cram as many people through and make a few quid. The only good thing about my most recent flights was the return in from Dublin - hand baggage only so no passport control and straight out of the airport. Dear oh dear. I live just 10 minutes from this airport otherwise I would certainly not use it. Thank goodness I can use Heathrow or Manchester for my scheduled flights.

✅ Verified Review | Travelling to Europe we chose to fly from EMA and stayed overnight in a local hotel to make it easier in the morning. We walked to the bag drop off area as we had already checked in on line allowing ourselves 2 hrs to catch our flight which we thought would be ample, what a mistake. We queued for approximately 25 minutes to clear check in and then waited another hour and a quarter to get through security. I have never witnessed anything like it, the security area was in total disarray with literally several hundred people waiting to be screened. As we were approaching the screener our flight was getting it's final call and both wife and I had to run quarter of a mile to get to out departure gate with our bags in hand. I haven't used EMA for several years as I have more recently used BHX and I can say with utmost sincerity that I will never travel from EMA again. It is incredible to think that airport management and local authorities think a 2 hour clearance delay is acceptable without some form of prior warning and with no apologies. Well as I said, never ever again.