Organized Airport Security Screening

I've done my fair share of airline travel, so I'm familiar with the chaotic and often demeaning process of clearing airport security. You first get in line so someone can check your ID and boarding pass. These people are rarely anything beyond indifferent to you. Though you'll occasionally get someone who will return your greeting with a small degree of warmth. 

You then join another queue for the actual scanners. Here it becomes a bit of a mess. You wait to grab a plastic bin in which to put your shoes and various items. You have to wait for the person in front of you to do the same. Sometimes the person is prepared. Most often he is not and you're stuck waiting for him to divest himself of his belt, shoes, keys, change, etc. You can't really layer your belongings, especially if you have a computer, so you usually end up with two or three bins. Once you're done, you have to push your bins along until they're on the actual conveyor belt into the x-ray machine before you can move to the scanner. A lot of people don't do this, so you're stuck shoving their stuff through, as well. 

Once you're done with the x-ray, you encounter a cluster of people from the other lines waiting to funnel through the scanner. Once you're through the scanner (assuming they don't need to do a pat down because your barrette, or in my case, stomach triggers an alert), you collect your bins and try to find some place to put them so you can get your shoes back on and all of your belongings reorganized. You often feel rushed because there are usually only a handful of spots. And you feel,you have to keep track of everything because we've all heard the horror stories of iPhones and jewelry disappearing from the security area.

I am so used to security being an arduous affair that I'm taken aback by kindness. Such as when my camera bag required a closer inspection when I was leaving Aguadilla, PR, and the officer was not only very pleasant but she actually put everything back into the bag! I am happy to report that I was taken aback with my latest airport experience. Edinburgh is now at the top of my security thumbs-up list.

First off, you don't have to be checked in by a person. They do have agents available for those who want or need one, but we used one of the many automated lines. All I did was put my boarding pass on the scanner and it let me through. Now, before anyone frets about the lack of ID screening: All IDs are checked at the gate. If your ID doesn't match your boarding card, you aren't getting on a plane. 

The x-ray and scanner area is where it gets even better. The x-ray area is set up like Disney. There are eight access points along the belt. At each access point is a very large plastic bin for your belongings. It's big enough that only the most overloaded would need more than one. On the floor behind each access point is two rows of numbers. So you have spots numbered one through eight, and then a second row of spots numbered one through eight. An agent greets you when you reach the area and assigns you a spot. I was in the second row in number five. When the woman in the first row number five finished, I stepped forward and put my belongings in the bin.

Agents are constantly milling about to make sure no one has a problem with the bin or any questions. I asked if my shoes went in the bin, she looked at my leather Mary Janes and said I could keep them on! When I was finished, I moved my bin from the access point to the moving conveyor in front of it. There is no waiting for room on the conveyor, or pushing it along. I was then directed to the scanner, where I joined an orderly queue of three people.

By the time I was through the metal detector (no back scatter scanner this time), my bin was within view. Here they employ further organization. If the x-ray technicians see something questionable, the bag is diverted to a second conveyor on the other side of a plastic shield. Agents grab these bags, find their owners, and take them aside. If a bag is fine, it spits out on the conveyor within easy reach of travelers. So the line isn't held up whilst the x-ray tech rescans an item. And questionable bags are automatically out of reach of their owners.

I only had a tote bag, so I just grabbed it and was done. But Steve had his computer for work, plus a belt, keys, etc. Rather than him having to hunt down a small segment of a bench, he just went to one of several long tables that were divided into carrells. There are more than enough carrells for everyone. Here he was able to get himself put back together without having to worry about his bin getting taken or being in someone's way.

And on top of all of this, every one of the officers working the area were pleasant and friendly. But then, they're Scottish. It was so nice to get through security without feeling rushed or degraded. Well done Edinburgh!