JIM Leslie criticises security arrangements at Edinburgh Airport (Letters, September 14).

I work as a long-haul pilot out of Heathrow and commute through Edinburgh Airport to get to work; when operating as crew, I go through the same security checks as passengers. So I go through airport security about 200 times a year and have done so for the past 27 years. On the basis of that experience, I disagree with Mr Leslie about security at Edinburgh.

I agree that the security hall isn’t ideal. The loading lines at each screening machine are too long, which also means a lot of people are left milling around waiting for their bags at the other end. However, the arrangement may have been dictated by the space available and the hall seems to cope reasonably well with the volume of passengers.

I disagree with Mr Leslie about the security staff, whom he describes as “surly at best”. In my experience, the staff at Edinburgh are among the best in the world: cheerful, helpful and friendly.

Bear in mind that they do a repetitive job in a bustling environment, with shift start times as early as 4am. Would Mr Leslie get through the working day there without the occasional grumpy moment?

Doug Maughan,

52 Menteith View,

Dunblane.