Edinburgh Airport

Went through security at a 'quiet' time took 35 mins. Spoke to staff and they told me that it had been testing (quote) which I take to be a polite way of saying chaotic. They are incredibly demoralised! whoever thought that 12 security gates could possibly be replaced by 6 - and be faster - must be delusional. More gates are needed and room must be found for them before Edinburgh Airport security gets an even.

First time at EDI since the new security arrangements. I stupidly forget to remove my belt so I was put through the body scanner - fair enough nobody's fault except my own. I was travelling hand baggage only and while I was waiting to be scanned my luggage including my boarding pass medication laptop expensive camera wallet money and everything else trundled off on its own. Fortunately my wife wasn't pulled aside and after she'd recovered her own stuff she noticed a staff member looking at my tray which seemed to have reached the end of the line. The staff member asked her "Is this yours?" to which she replied "No it's my husband's" and was immediately told to take it to one of the re-packing tables. Luckily the lady who claimed to be my wife actually was my wife but she could have been anybody and I could have had my entire luggage stolen. The staff were all perfectly pleasant but the system needs an urgent re-think.

Previously a pleasure the new security system has made Edinburgh incredibly frustrating to use. Wildly inefficient system that sent the majority of the bags in my queue through to be hand checked. If you are going to hand check most of the cabin luggage you need considerably more than two people to do it.

I realise that there is not a lot of space immediately adjacent to the terminal but it would have been nice if the powers that be had thought about passengers having to transfer from the terminal by bus to car parks and hotels. Whilst there are undercover pick up areas and indeed a large multi-storey car park connected to the terminal by a bridge those unfortunates in our group of hapless passengers walked 400 metres and stood in very cold weather at half past midnight without shelter for a bus which would appear "some time". The upside of the experience was that it wasn't raining or indeed snowing as it was cold enough for snow. What a wonderful Scottish welcome for the largely non Scottish bus load of passengers very few of whom including us had managed to find the bus stance without asking some one for directions. I have commended this airport because there is no alternative for many destinations - perhaps that is why they get away with poor service.

After reading the reviews here I panicked and purchased fast track security for a 0720 flight only to see people going through the regular queues faster than fast track which was only 5 min itself. Total waste of a fiver. Maybe an online traffic light system of how busy departures are and staffing levels would assist as there is no info on the website about how long to expect security to take.

The "old" security system (ie: he one they had before this one) also had long queues but at least that seemed to be just due to passenger numbers. As others have pointed out the new system does not allow for any passengers who need more than one tray (ie: most as one wheelie/rucksack goes in one tray and laptop/ipad/phone/jacket etc in the other) - as the ridiculous numbered allocation of spaces on the belt before the x-ray means that there is virtually no way to keep multiple trays together. I can't even begin to imagine how a family of four would cope (and presumably won't come summer time). The automatic tray extractor after x-rays is similar to the ones at Heathrow but in this case just adds to the confusion. Worse is at the end you are supposed to take your (one) tray to an array of metal shelves to re-pack/re-dress - but once again this doesn't in any way allow for passengers with multiple trays - it is virtually impossible for one person to carry two trays across the gap to the re-pack area. Amazingly this system manages to make T5 and T2 at Heathrow look a model of security efficiency. When I went through EDI a few weeks back there were a lot of management-type people observing the chaos hope the brilliant PE minds can work a solution to this. Funny thing for them is that now no-one has time to shop or eat/drink as they get out of security just in time to make their flights so I guess the retail guys will be asking for lower rents come review time.

Airport security is shambolic. Simply the worst in the world I have experienced. You should never be put in a situation where you and your hand luggage possessions going through screening are separated lost to sight and reach the end of the screening process at totally separate times into a crowd of waiting passengers.

Terrible security system - agree with comments on here I lost site of my belongings which seem to divert to who knows where containing my purse passport laptop etc. I don't mind the searches that is good but what a dreadful chaotic system People all over looking for their bags. Would rather go back to the old way. I also agree with all the stairs had to climb after disembarking. This isn't an improvement it is the worst system I have seen at an airport.

For an International Airport serving Scotland's capital this airport is a disgrace. First impression of having to walk down stairs from the aircraft onto the tarmac and then hike back up into the terminal was extremely poor. Surely in the 21st century a developed nation can expect to have a jetway for transiting from aircraft to the terminal. Didn't see much of the terminal but again first impression is dark dingy and not overly clean.

If an airport is the portal and welcome to city Edinburgh leaves a very taste in the mouth. The airport both inside and outside is dirty with no effort taken or investment given to make the place visually attractive or welcoming. The terminal is dirty and very poorly maintained the urinals in the toilets have buckets to catch the leaks the terminal floor is patched and taped to cover up holes. Other faults are too numerous to mention here other than to say that third world nation airports are better managed and more welcoming and appealing than depressing poor affair. The Scots are known for being miserable and gruff the staff at the airport take this to new levels of achievement. Aberdeen airport is no better and the only common factor is that they are both owned and managed by the same operator!! I will not being this dump again and fully intend to take up the issue of zealous rude security staff with British Department of Transport. Nothing will be done of course because no really cares!