You're not comparing like for like.
Originally Posted by
DanTravels
In AMS or NBO, for example (and I think FRA may be this way as well), they're free to roam the "international" concourse, shop up a storm, and get screened at the gate for their connecting flight. In NRT or KIX, they follow signs for connecting flights, go through a security check, and are then back on the concourse, free to roam.
In these cases, you'd be looking at pax who are travelling on a single itinerary who have through checked their luggage.
At most US airports, they go through immigration, international bag claim, customs, "bag re-check" and security, back onto the concourse.
This is because most US flights are not able to through check luggage for "security" reasons. Hence luggage is offloaded, collected by pax, re-checked and re-screened.
EDI lacks "bag re-check" and an airside security checkpoint to route connecting international passengers back onto the concourse.
This relates to travelling on two separate itineraries where luggage was not through checked. In most airports, separate itineraries will mean collecting luggage and checking in landside for the onward flight, especially if it is from an international flight. I don't remember ever seeing luggage carousels before the passport control.
This is particularly stupid given that the UK (as evidenced by LHR) ordinarily would not require a transiting, carry-on-only passenger to go anywhere near immigration, international bag claim, customs or "bag re-check," because they aren't entering the country.
And this is relating to a carry-on-only passenger which was clearly not the case when complaining about time taken to offload luggage at EDI (which in any case has always seemed very quick to me).
But at EDI, they manage to have a process that's even worse than the US.
That's a matter of opinion but you do need to make sure you are comparing like with like.