23 ways that East Midlands Airport has improved since you were last there

The changes are focused on improving the customer experience, with virtually no aspect of the journey through the airport untouched.

East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: “Everywhere you look, things have changed and improved to make the customer experience even better at East Midlands Airport as part of our investment programme. We’re already rated good to excellent by 97% of our customers, but we’re constantly striving to improve things further and make the start of everyone’s holidays from East Midlands as effortless and relaxing as possible.”

Here are 23 ways in which the airport has changed over the last two and a half years:

1.      Arriving at the airport, people using the Short Stay 1 car park have clearer signage and resurfaced, freshly laid-out parking spaces

2.      Anyone dropping off friends and family can now do so at a newly laid-out Rapid Drop Off area where queues are a thing of the past thanks to a new cashless, barrierless payment system

3.      Meet & Greet customers now benefit from a refurbished reception area, along with automated self-serve options that speed up the process of dropping off and collecting vehicle keys. A clearer colour-coded layout has also been introduced for easier vehicle collection

4.      New baggage trolleys are available

5.      Inside the terminal, after passing through new revolving doors in the check-in hall, customers are greeted with a new entrance to departures, with a new set of Automatic Boarding Card Reader gates in a fresh, welcoming setting with improved lighting and a media wall providing helpful pre-security preparation advice

6.      The security hall has been expanded and completely transformed to accommodate larger next-generation scanners which speed up the process by allowing customers to keep electronics and liquids in their bags. Wooden panelling, improved lighting and a media wall create a brighter, more welcoming space

7.      Lots has changed in the departure lounge. The Escape Lounge has been extended and refurbished to offer an enhanced experience to more customers

8.      A new Italian restaurant, Terracotta, has opened in a large unit in the departure lounge – offering customers a fresh dining experience

9.      A new Mediterranean restaurant, Alembic, was opened on the 60^th anniversary of the airport’s first day of operations

10. Refurbishment has been carried out to the Pork & Pickle food and drink outlet

11. A new WHSmith one-stop shop has opened in an enlarged unit, providing all the essentials for travellers including health and beauty products, tech, souvenirs and food and drink

12. The Castle Rock Bar and Kitchen has been refurbished

13. A new JD Sports outlet has opened in the airport’s largest retail unit

14. New and extra departure lounge seating is now available

15. A new Little Flyers interactive play zone has opened in a space previously occupied by the Quiet Room for Assisted Travel customers. The play zone includes a large role play plane on runway flooring, along with seven airport-themed games on the colourfully decorated walls, along with activity packs to keep young travellers occupied

16. The Assisted Travel service has been enhanced, with a new Quiet Room opening in a calmer part of the terminal, alongside a new sensory pod for customers with neurodivergent conditions – the first of its kind at a UK airport. Two new electric ambulifts and six new mobility scooters have also been added to help people’s journey through the airport and onto their plane

17. Toilet and baby changing facilities have been modernised and upgraded throughout the terminal from check-in to the departures lounge, as well as arrivals and the baggage reclaim hall, plus new Changing Places facilities landside and airside

18. New water fountains have been introduced in security and the departure lounge, as well as customer wi-fi being upgraded

19. Touch-screen customer service kiosks are now available in the departure lounge for easy access to information to complement the service provided by customer ambassadors

20. A new airside multi faith room has opened, complementing the one already available at check-in

21. On return from their holidays, customers now have a warmer welcome in an immigration hall refreshed in line with improvements elsewhere, with clearer wayfinding, wooden panelling and local landmark imagery

22. After passing through new anti-backtrack doors, there’s a new-look Lost Property hub in arrivals, where the WHSmith has also undergone a refresh

23. Some out-of-sight but important improvements have been carried out on the airfield too. This includes upgrades and maintenance of the runway, taxiways and aprons; increasing cargo stands for wide-bodied aircraft by four to 12; developing new gatehouse checkpoints to increase capacity and bring the security specifications in line with the next-generation equipment inside the terminal; upgrading the airport’s water management systems; investing in a new fleet of seven snowploughs to improve the airport’s response to wintry weather; and introducing state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control equipment.