Edinburgh Airport

I arrived at the Airport at circa 5pm on October 10th for a domestic flight. The existing security "hall" had literally just been closed to the pubic (still open for staff and flight crews) and we were all ushered into the new facility. New normally means better - at least that's what I thought. It was total chaos. There was no queue management leading into the new hall and several people almost came to blows as passengers who had paid for priority through security walked past the long (stretching all the way back to the escalators) queue searching in vain for the non-existent priority lane. Once I reached the top of the queue there was even more chaos this time caused by the fact that there was active queue management - mis-management would be more like it - and only 2 security scanners operational. Staff were shouting out that passengers should go to a numbered spaces to put belongings in trays for scanning. Guess what no numbered spaces just a line of plastic trays on a table staff on the actual security conveyor belt were highly aggressive and very rude they paid no attention to the concept of customer service and had no understanding that when you put your valuables in a tray you need to be able to see where that tray is to make sure that no-one reaches in and lifts things out. No doubt they were just as stressed by the shambolic operation of the new hall as we were but we are the ones who pay to use the facilities and need to be treated as valued customers. For the airport which would like to see itself as Scotland's premier airport and Edinburgh's gateway to the world it was a complete shambles and an utter disgrace. Those responsible for closing the existing facility during the day (on a very busy day at that) and making the passengers use a new facility which was woefully unready (only 2 of the lines were open!) should be sacked.

EDI-LHR Monday 22nd September. I arrived at 08.10 for a flight departing at 09.10 to find that what is normally no more than twenty minutes in the security queue stretched out to just on forty minutes. I know that a Monday morning will be busy but when I'd got through - with my flight starting to board - I could see that six of the twelve or so scanners were not in action. Hence the pandemonium. Really with the competition from a train to London this is an own-goal. The new tram stops next to the about-to-be-opened terminal extension but note also that for most of the day the bus will be faster and for casual traffic it is cheaper (£4/£7 return versus £5/£9 return).

We flew from Edinburgh Airport on 12th August at 8am in the morning. Ladies toilets were already filthy. The airport would do well using a customer experience consultant. How are you supposed to wash and then dry your hands in the Ladies toilets when you have your luggage and there are only two dryers and these are miles away from the sinks? The food outlet called Eat in the departure hall upstairs is always filthy and untidy and tables aren't cleared. The airport presents a consistently untidy and mucky experience all round.

I am aged on wrong side of 70 not a regular flyer. On return flight to Ireland on 11/09/14 I feel I was treated as no better by security staff (and I wholly approve of stringent security checks at airports) than a common criminal. The guy who checked me made me remove my shoes spread-eagled me and when he found I had failed to remove a few scraps of paper from my pockets dealt with me in a sneering and ill mannered fashion. Never again.

We flew from the airport on 16/08/2014 : the drop off area was dark and congested the departure hall is congested as people flying out are trying to find their check in desk and people arriving off flights are walking through the same area to exit the building - a total muddle. The security and hand luggage check area is like a cave (it is so dark) and is very muddled before and after you go through it. But what a difference when you enter the duty free and waiting area - bright and well organised space. We flew into the airport on 23/08/2014: in the ladies toilets there was one door with a broken lock and another toilet was out of action. It did not smell very fresh either. We seemed to be the only arriving flight as there were no other passengers going through passport control or baggage reclaim yet it took 15 minutes for any luggage to appear even although there was quite a delay in anyone being able to exit our plane after landing. We used to like using Edinburgh airport but in the last couple of years it has not been a very good experience.

Airport is a building site. Every time I have returned to this (my home) airport recently the airport via has been in a different place each time even further from the terminal. Presumably this is to remind is that no matter how much inconvenience and expense the tram in Edinburgh has cost us it is still not over. The tram of course takes far longer than the bus to get to the city centre so I imagine they believe by making the bus harder to find they will displace at least some passengers from the bus to this 1 billion £ white elephant. Not me. But clearly they care nothing for their passengers. The only ones who have a decent exit these days are being met by private cars.

Arrived on flight from Mexico on 24th July. Flight landed at 08.00 but we didn't get our bags delivered until 09.00. First bag was delivered from flight at 08.46 (after screens initially stating baggage delivery would start at 08.31). This was after being bussed from aircraft. General feeling amongst passengers was that there was not enough staff to cope.

Flew to Geneva on Monday 7 Jul on easyJet 18.00 flight. Through the boarding gate more or less on time and then spent 25 mins waiting in hot sun in a polytunnel at the SW end of the terminal building. Turned out we were waiting for a vehicle with a lift platform to assist a disabled passenger to disembark. Exactly the same thing happen to me about a year ago only that time it was a wheelchair that took 20mns to appear. Something wrong somewhere. I wouldn't care but I had just completed a passenger survey whilst waiting at the boarding gate and I gave the questions asked quite good marks. Mind you I am the one who told the survey that the gents toilets on the right when you come back home through passport control simply honk of stale urine. Sort it.

Arrived on flight from Milan on Saturday 28th June. Taken from aircraft by bus despite being on a stand within walking distance of terminal building. Then kept on bus for around fifteen minutes due to queues in passport control. Released off bus only to then spend 45 minutes in queue in a perspex tunnel in very hot temperatures because electronic passport readers were being trialled. No air-con no ventilation with older people and children being subjected to heat. This was unacceptable for a major gateway point to Scotland.

Arrived 20 minutes early on a Ryanair flight from Tenerife arriving 2300 hrs. Bussed from where aircraft was parked at other side of airport to find huge Q at immigration. Immigration automated passport readers were taking twice as long as human counterpart. Having only cabin baggage you hope for a speedy exit but with all the faffing about it was just after midnight an hour after the plane had landed we walked out of airport door. Passing through baggage reclaim I heard the duty manager trying to explain a luggage delay by telling passengers that their aircraft was early so if they have more than one aircraft prepare for delays. This is my local airport and I so want it to be good but the service at the moment for arriving passengers with buses stairs walking outside in all weathers incompetent immigration staff makes it Pathetic.