Using Birmingham Airport (Questions & Reviews)

[rollo]

Am I right in thinking that the new departures set up is meant to be designed to cope with the projected 18million passengers per annum ?

If so abandon all hope all who enter.

 

[Brum X]

Hey, I'm back too. Had a really enjoyable trip. Berlin is a very interesting city, certainly no Cinderella and definitely one of the ugly sisters. However the vibe and culture over there makes it a unique place. Public transport is the best ive seen anywhere, including London. Trams. Buses, night buses, cross city trains and the underground literally every few minutes in all directions. However litter and graffiti is everywhere, Birmingham has finally met its match. It's quite a grubby city.



Firstly my arrival last night at around 10pm, 10/10. I couldn't of asked for anything better. The timing was perfect, only a handful of planes parked up and as we were walking down the steps on the very last remote stand at the end of the international pier, flights started to arrive. I was out of the airport in less than 20 minutes with 1 suitcase and had 10 minutes to wait for my bus. Perfect Note: Escalator was still out of use so I will deduct 0.5 so total score on arrival 9.5/10. It's these small things that make a difference.

I can't believe me and Ray travelled on the same day as I experienced none of that mentioned above, however I did arrive at the airport at 4am. My journey to the security area was plain sailing from the check in desks, no problem with the lifts and no problem with the security area, however our security belt broke down so they had to put all of our stuff on the next belt, but that was only 5 mins delay and appreciate these things happen. Not the end of the world. I even had time to walk around the duty free shop, and grab a bacon roll and coffee from the Soho coffee shop in the quiet area of the pier (see photos from Monday)

This is where my moan comes from and I think its an Easyjet issue, no issues with the flight itself, all on time and flight crew fantastic. No loud music playing, you know that one, looool and everything nice and simple, just how I like it. However I had already checked in online, but you have to wait in the same check in queue with everyone else until 2 hours before departure when the normal check in desks open ???? What's the point of bag drop then, everyone might aswell just check in the old way and wait in a queue. Considering I arrived at the airport at 4am for a 7am flight, I literally had to wait in a queue of people until 5am when the staff arrived to open normal check in and the bag drop kiosks. The bag drop should be open as soon as the airport starts getting busy which is nowadays after 4am, you shouldn't have to wait until the check in desk is open as you do it yourself? This is something Easyjet need to look into as there is no point doing everything on the app when you can't bag drop at 4am or 4.30 am when check in only opens 2 hours before a flight.

As a comparison, when I arrived at BER airport yesterday on my return, and this is what it should be like at BHX in 2024, there is no need to even join an Easyjet queue, there is a central bag drop area for all airlines (you select which airline) and done straight away. I arrived at the airport 3 hours before my flight. If that was at BHX, I'd have to wait another 1 hour before I could bag drop.



So to our Easyjet friend on the forum, please get HQ to look into this, everyone shouldn't have to wait until you open check in 2 hours before a flight to bag drop.

Otherwise had a great time.



Also and not Easyjet or BHX related, more to do with airports on the continent. I noticed this when I travelled from Amsterdam in May and yesterday at Berlin airport. How come you go through a passport control at the departing airport, as well as again when you arrive back at BHX ? I've never had to do that at a Spanish airport like Las Palmas. Yes obviously when you arrive but never gone through passport control when leaving Gran Canaria. Is this a Brexit thing ? I just find it weird as a departing passenger?


Check out some rather blurry photo's of BER on the BER thread.

;-)

 

[Nethercote2019]

On board LS1361 to PMI the last flight of the season but 1 .. arrived at airport door at 06:15 & eating bacon sandwich at 06:45 !
My question is why are so many bags rejected at security I think they need to turn the sensitivity down a bit
Used the new tent for first time & it was a bit draughty but ok
We are on the second jet 2 of the morning to Palma outbound pax load of 19 …. For both but both inbounds are full
Simon

 

[Ray Finkle]

I can't believe me and Ray travelled on the same day as I experienced none of that mentioned above, however I did arrive at the airport at 4am.

We were there around 13:00. When my lad asked the woman at the Jet2 bag drop whether all the pax were going to KRK she said to him 'we've got loads departing this afternoon, it'll be busy down there'. She wasn't wrong.

It was so bad that last night Mrs F suggested us using EMA next year

Also and not Easyjet or BHX related, more to do with airports on the continent. I noticed this when I travelled from Amsterdam in May and yesterday at Berlin airport. How come you go through a passport control at the departing airport, as well as again when you arrive back at BHX ? I've never had to do that at a Spanish airport like Las Palmas. Yes obviously when you arrive but never gone through passport control when leaving Gran Canaria. Is this a Brexit thing ? I just find it weird as a departing passenger?

I believe it is to get that exit stamp in the passport. No issue in KRK last week as we just walked straight up to the desk but AGP in August took around 25mins to get through. I wonder how many people have been caught out and nearly missed flights.

My question is why are so many bags rejected at security

I'm glad it's not just me that noticed it.

Every single rejected line I could see was full and when one tray was screened another joined it's place. It seemed as if this stopping and starting held up the queue, which then held up the queue at the boarding card scanning point, which then held up the queue at the bottom of the lifts, which then held up the queue for the queue

 

[Nibbles]

I also noticed that in every lane that I could see the rejected trays line was constantly full, possibly slowing things down as bags then had nowhere to go?

You've hit the nail on the head. The rejected queue lines slow everything up - plenty of evidence of that. Which is why so much effort goes in to trying to make sure that doesnt happen in the first place. Remember the old security line had a large area before the scanners to allow pax to throw items away - thats largely gone now. Of course, the new rules (whenever they come in to effect) will make a difference. That, and the fact that the new scanners currently arent operating as efficiently as they should (i.e. flagging items as suspect because of software issues and sending them to the reject line when they dont need it!).

I just cant understand how the airport thought that this re-modelling of this part departures area was a good idea given the lack of space there is.

It's not finished yet, far from it, coupled with the fact that the scanners arent operating as they should and the backlog that creates. You design infrastructure in line with what you expect from scanners etc., plus a margin. Or more specifically, you dont design infrastructure to cope with scanners not getting to the throughput they advertise. As a later post that yours notes, the rejected queue line causes stop start which gets exacerbated at every stage all the way back to the back of the queue downstairs. The happy news is that a tiny time saving/efficiency improvement upstairs would clear that queue in next to no time.

And in any case, the airport had no choice but to re-model due to the new security arrangements. Of course, keyboard warriors (not necessarily on this and other more 'educated' fora) know far better than those who design these things for a living - but thats the world we live in i guess...

 

[rollo]

Nibbles makes some good and informative points but at the risk of being of being a keyboard warrior I can only say after 45 years in a engineering manufacturing environment up to director level the best designs are the ones that actually work as specified first time.

A few further points:

1. Given the machines are not working due to software issues are the airport seeking redress ?

2. When will the security works actually be completed ? We were told completion was July in time for the
peak summer period.

3. The airports communications to the public is poor to say the least.

4. I can't help but get the feeling it's all a bit Heath-Robinson make do and mend type thing due to
Cost/space issues.

I really want BHX to succeed but I am baffled that the new scanners at other airports don't seem to be causing the same issues, LBA / MANfor example seem fine.

Anyway I next get to test the system early December with a 08:40 departure which is a quiet pre Ch Christmas period

 

[Ray Finkle]

1. Given the machines are not working due to software issues are the airport seeking redress ?

2. When will the security works actually be completed ? We were told completion was July in time for the
peak summer period.

3. The airports communications to the public is poor to say the least.

Definitely 100% this.

We (the general public) were told there would be great improvements yet in my (admittedly limited) experience the opposite has happened?

I'm definitely not claiming to 'know more than the people who design these things for a living' I'm just reporting my experience as it happened and plenty of others appear to have encountered similar.

For what it's worth when this remodelling was announced I actually thought it was a good idea, new security area and an enhanced departure lounge without dramatically expanding the footprint of the building.

Hopefully next time things will be working as they should and I'll come on here to report just how great it all was

 

[Nibbles]

I dont disagree with @rollo , but some thoughts;

1) probably, it depends on what the actual issue is. This seems to be a national issue, associated with software assurance, which is why all airports had changes to their plans. There might be some redress from the manufacturers for the cost of the queue management if that is over and above day to day ops, but i doubt that'd be significant. Depends how quickly they solve the issues...

2) the first phase of security has finished, but its one part of a whole heap of changes. There is the F&B area to go in the place of the old security area and a move of duty free, which then frees up more space both land and airside (i assume - though there arent any plans in the public domain). Then there is some additional security (2 more scanners), not sure where that would go. Also the previous wider departure lounge improvements, removal (we assume) of the existing air rail link (which opens up more space in that corner of security) and (im sure i read) some changes to baggage claim. All but the latter will have an impact on the ability to get people into and through security seamlessly, though also see point 1 above.

3) probably, though anyone who has worked in operational management of passengers will know that there is a big difference between what is actually happening and what the public and the press (more importantly) see happening. These last few posts highlight the point though that some have been through with a long delay whilst others have breezed through. And as we all know, people are far more likely to comment (in general, not on this forum) when they've had a bad experience than a good one. What is for certain is that some are put off by the negativity and claim to be looking elsewhere. Thats not a good thing for BHX. But how much that actually manifests when people book flights...

4) i partly agree. Space is a huge constraint, and has caused many of the issues - both finding places for new assets and finding temporary space to move things to whilst you build. They could do it all easily by closing the airport and rebuilding, but that isnt practical nor sensible. If you look at a map, there is barely any space that could easily be utilised, especially after you factor in national security requirements, surface access arrangements and the like.

On LBA/MAN, i dont know any details so cant really comment. But i would add that any like for like comparison is unlikely to be reflective of my comments above, nor be reflective of the existing delivery state of those airports.

We will see how things go. Im through there next Monday, so will see. But polling the 5 or 6 people i know who've been through very recently has generally had no issues.

 

[rollo]

Thanks @Nibbles for a well reasoned response.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Arrived at T2 around 5am this morning. Jet2 bag drop busy but it took no time at all. Had booked fast track but decided to use the 2 lanes closest to Jet2 so headed up the 'working escalator' and straight to the boarding pass scan point. Only one lane in operation but it took around 15 mins so not bad at all.

Two things I noticed, negative - the queueing area is very small, I'm not sure I'd want to be there in the peak summer months. Positive - only one bag in the rejected line, which happened to be my sons

Departures busy but not uncomfortable, plenty of tables for breakfast. Kids enjoyed the free Easter chocolate in World Duty Free. Shelby Bar looks very nice.

Departed from T2 gate 5 so into the holding pen which really isn't as bad I I'd feared. Boarded early which meant arrival 30 mins ahead of schedule.

Great flight on G-SUNL, cabin crew were brilliant although the seats on the NEO are not the most comfortable.

All in all I can fault anything, Mrs F even commented on how much better it was than last year.

Keep it up BHX

 

[Ianbutty]

Arrived at T2 around 5am this morning. Jet2 bag drop busy but it took no time at all. Had booked fast track but decided to use the 2 lanes closest to Jet2 so headed up the 'working escalator' and straight to the boarding pass scan point. Only one lane in operation but it took around 15 mins so not bad at all.

Two things I noticed, negative - the queueing area is very small, I'm not sure I'd want to be there in the peak summer months. Positive - only one bag in the rejected line, which happened to be my sons

Departures busy but not uncomfortable, plenty of tables for breakfast. Kids enjoyed the free Easter chocolate in World Duty Free. Shelby Bar looks very nice.

Departed from T2 gate 5 so into the holding pen which really isn't as bad I I'd feared. Boarded early which meant arrival 30 mins ahead of schedule.

Great flight on G-SUNL, cabin crew were brilliant although the seats on the NEO are not the most comfortable.

All in all I can fault anything, Mrs F even commented on how much better it was than last year.

Keep it up BHX

Always remember: we moan about a traffic jam because it is not the norm. Like wise we moan about a bad airport experience...

Ray: enjoy your holiday.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Landed just before 14:30, bit of a wait to get onto stand 3 due to departing aircraft being pushed back, bit of a wait for ground crews to arrive to guide people off. Big queue at UKBF but constantly moving so through in just under 15 mins. Bags arrived not long after so touchdown to leaving the building was around 50 mins.

Well done Jet2 and BHX

Great flight home on G-SUNO, brilliant cabin crew and very informative flight deck. The A321NEO is such a lovely aircraft but whoever at Jet2 signed off those seats needs questions asking. First world problems eh!

Lufthansa to FRA in around 4 weeks so we'll see how things are in the May school half term.

 

[jfy1999]

Landed just before 14:30, bit of a wait to get onto stand due to departing aircraft being pushed back, bit of a wait for ground crews to arrive to guide people off. Big queue at UKBF but constantly moving so through in just under 15 mins.

I had a Similar experience with the Border Force when I arrived on Jet2 from Vienna on Monday the 14th (between 2200 and 2300). A few automatic scanners weren’t operating for some reason but the queue moved smoothly.

Arrival was a bit of a strange experience - parking on stand 8 at the Eurohub but then we were put on buses which took us around the mulberry bush, under the International Pier twice, eventually arriving at Stand 41. Anyone else ever experienced this kind of thing?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Arrival was a bit of a strange experience - parking on stand 8 at the Eurohub but then we were put on buses which took us around the mulberry bush, under the International Pier twice, eventually arriving at Stand 41. Anyone else ever experienced this kind of thing?

In the past I've parked on 54L and been bussed to what was stand 12 in T2, that was on a domestic flight. Never the other way round though.

 

[jfy1999]

A family member reported a 1 hour queue at security on Easter Monday for an 8.30am departure. Hearing that I got a little worried about my return flight to Vienna tomorrow, but it is at 5pm so hopefully it won’t be so busy…

 

[jfy1999]

A family member reported a 1 hour queue at security on Easter Monday for an 8.30am departure. Hearing that I got a little worried about my return flight to Vienna tomorrow, but it is at 5pm so hopefully it won’t be so busy…

I used the security at the Jet2 end of the terminal - through in 10 minutes!

Thanks to this I had time to hang around in the International Pier and got to see the arrival in quick succession of the Silkway 747 and Turkish 787 - sadly bright sun and reflections meant no decent pictures.

the aircraft (G-DRTA) was the same as the inbound flight two weeks ago, I estimate it was a bit less than half full this time. Boarding was completed well ahead of schedule thanks to this.

Well done to BHX and Jet2

 

[thunderchild]

I used the security at the Jet2 end of the terminal - through in 10 minutes!

Thanks to this I had time to hang around in the International Pier and got to see the arrival in quick succession of the Silkway 747 and Turkish 787 - sadly bright sun and reflections meant no decent pictures.

the aircraft (G-DRTA) was the same as the inbound flight two weeks ago, I estimate it was a bit less than half full this time. Boarding was completed well ahead of schedule thanks to this.

Well done to BHX and Jet2

So you can still get to security from the Jet2 end? That’s good to know as I thought that had all been closed off and you had to join the queues to go up in the elevators? How do you enter security coming from that side?

 

[jfy1999]

So you can still get to security from the Jet2 end? That’s good to know as I thought that had all been closed off and you had to join the queues to go up in the elevators? How do you enter security coming from that side?

Yes. It might have been newly reopened. They had the new machines and I didn’t have to take my computer out of the bag.

 

[Ray Finkle]

So you can still get to security from the Jet2 end?

It's a completely different security area with 2 lanes. It's a very small area but when we used it the queue was moving and it took less than 20 mins even with just one lane open.

 

[thunderchild]

It's a completely different security area with 2 lanes. It's a very small area but when we used it the queue was moving and it took less than 20 mins even with just one lane open.

Might give that a go then. Our flight is 2pm so hoping to get there early enough to beat the lunchtime rush and get through departures in time to have a bite to eat before departure.