How new arrivals at Edinburgh Airport could actually get a pleasant welcome (unlike the one I got)
Stephen Jardine describes a late-night delay at Edinburgh Airport and suggests some possible improvements ahead of a revamp of passenger arrivals
”Was ist das?” the German man asked his wife. She shrugged her shoulders and looked ready to go home but that was quite far away.
We’d arrived on the same Easyjet flight from Berlin, due to land at Edinburgh Airport at 10.50pm. We were 40 minutes late. The crew apologised for the delay and opened the plane doors. Then we waited.
Five minutes later, the captain announced the delay was due to no ground staff arriving to meet us. Five minutes after that the bags were unloaded but we remained on the plane. At 11.45pm, he apologised. And again at 11.55pm.
And again when we finally disembarked at 12.05am. “Welcome to Edinburgh,” I said to the German couple. I’m not sure they got my dripping sarcasm.
Reasons why are complicated
Walking the down the steps, I expected a welcoming committee, maybe some banners or a pipe band after the 35-minute delay. Instead there was a bored women in a high-viz vest looking at her phone.
So ‘was ist das’? The easy explanation is that Edinburgh Airport delivers dreadful customer service but the real answer is a bit more complicated and takes some digging.
READ MORE: Here's what Edinburgh and Glasgow airports' booming passenger numbers did to their profits
Easyjet chooses its ground-handling partner from one of three companies operating at the airport. The airline then agrees a contract with what is effectively a subcontractor, setting standards of service including how long passengers should have to wait until they are disembarked.
That works most of the time but on a cold Sunday night in autumn when some staff have called in sick, the whole thing grinds to a halt.
An incredible success story
However no one blames the ground-handling company who are responsible or the airline that hired them to do a job they are so clearly failing to do. Instead everyone adds it to other tales of misery like waiting ages for bags, taxis, delayed departures and paying £47 for a teabag. Again, all tasks subcontracted from the airport-operating company.
Ultimately, capitalism is to blame. Edinburgh Airport is an incredible success story. It’s been transformed from a regional airport which could take you to either London or Malaga to a billion-pound business flying the world. In the 1980s, who would ever have believed you’d be able to step on a plane at Turnhouse and step off in China?
The price of that is the commercial imperative. What’s built the business is commerce which Edinburgh Airport does very well. With the new security scanners, you’re quickly deposited in departures to spend money and keep the machine growing.
Be more like Canada
Arrivals is a different story because there’s no money to be made. Hence the long walks down grim corridors that resemble the inside of some processing centre in a Soviet gulag. After so much development in departures, the airport has now announced they plan to invest in arrivals to deliver a better experience for consumers.
That’s good news. For many, it is their first experience of Scotland, and corrugated iron and wire fences don’t exactly scream hills and glens.
At Vancouver International, retired volunteers wearing Stetsons stand at strategic points saying “welcome to Canada” as you walk along. They have a beautiful images of the country you are coming to see and slogans to inspire you.
That doesn’t make any money but it does make for a nicer day for everyone.
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