Edinburgh Airport rated by customers in Which? annual survey of best and worst airports

The airport’s best scores were for its staff, some of its queues, the range of shops, its toilets and wi-fi. But it did not do so well for queues at passport control, baggage reclaim and prices in the shops.

Edinburgh is Scotland’s busiest airport, with flights to more than 150 destinations around the world and used by 14.4 million passengers last year.

Edinburgh Airport finished 15th out of 29 UK airports. Picture: Lisa Ferguson | Lisa Ferguson

In April this year, Which? surveyed almost 5,000 members about their experiences at airports in the previous 12 months. Respondents were invited to rate the airports across 11 categories. And a customer score was calculated based on a combination of overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend. 

Top of the table was Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with customer score of 81 per cent. And in bottom place was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 for the third consecutive year.

Edinburgh emerged right in the middle of the table with a customer score of 57 per cent.

Edinburgh got three stars out of a possible five for queues at check-in, queues at bag drop and queues at security, but only two stars for queues at passport control.

It received two stars for baggage reclaim, based on the length of wait on a return journey and two stars for seating, based on the number of seats available and their location throughout the airport, excluding lounges, bars or restaurants.

However, Edinburgh got three stars for its staff, based on customers’ overall experience of them; three stars for the wi-fi at the airport; and three stars for the toilets.

It also scored three stars for the range of shops at the airport, but only two stars for the prices in the shops.

The survey also noted that 1.5 per cent of flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure between May 2022 an April 2023, according to Civil Aviation Authority data.

The customer score of 57 per cent was based on overall satisfaction and how likely they were to recommend the airport.

The results were based on an online survey of 4,962 members of the Which? Connect panel conducted in April 2024 about their experiences of 6,695 airport visits in the previous 12 months

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Our survey found many of the biggest airports fall at the basics - with passengers often unhappy about the availability of toilets and seats, and reporting long queues at times. Flogging fast passes and filling terminals with retail spaces and airport lounges is a money spinner - but judging by our survey results, it's not what passengers need.

“Smaller airports in contrast may have few shops to speak of and the likes of London City [which finished a close second] have no private lounges - but our survey shows what they can do is get passengers off on their holiday quickly and smoothly. Next time you’re booking a flight, it’s well worth considering not just your choice of airline but also your airport - it could make all the difference to the start of your getaway.”