Infrastructure, Construction & Developments

[nwoody2001]

I assumed it was what the passenger meant when he said “the queues started outside the airport and spread inside to the escalators and lift with only one lift working”…the picture shows people queuing in front of multiple lifts.

Yes because they limit the number people going upstairs as there is limited space to queue whilst construction work is ongoing. Got nothing to do with the lifts!

I read a similar article in the Independent;

Stansted and Birmingham airport passengers hit by long delays due to technical issues

‘After queuing for two hours at Birmingham airport I missed my flight’ – passenger Joe Morris

www.independent.co.uk

This claims 15% of bags need re-scanning, iand each one adds 10 minutes to the process. Is this a normal percentage or is it driven by different rules at BHX to other airports?

Also the claim by the spokesman for the airport that this is a typical Monday and the new normal does not make me want to travel out of BHX anytime soon.

If you're looking for an airport that's not busy on a Monday then either a) you wont be travelling anytime soon or b) travel on a Tuesday lol

 

[TM3]

If you're looking for an airport that's not busy on a Monday then either a) you wont be travelling anytime soon or b) travel on a Tuesday lol

It's not being busy on Mondays that is abnormal, it's having to queue 3 hours outside of the terminal and still miss your flight.

Is a typical Tuesday any different?

Also I have a car so I can travel from a number of different airports and probably will if the airport has no ambition to provide services any better than this.

 

[nwoody2001]

It's not being busy on Mondays that is abnormal, it's having to queue 3 hours outside of the terminal and still miss your flight.

Is a typical Tuesday any different?

Also I have a car so I can travel from a number of different airports and probably will if the airport has no ambition to provide services any better than this.

I dont see any statements or articles suggesting that queuing outside the terminal or for 3 hours is normal. Has anyone suggested that anywhere in any of the articles ive ready....?

 

[TM3]

An airport spokesperson said:

“We saw a usual busy Monday morning at Birmingham airport with customers queuing downstairs, which is the new normal."

Stansted and Birmingham airport passengers hit by long delays due to technical issues

‘After queuing for two hours at Birmingham airport I missed my flight’ – passenger Joe Morris

www.independent.co.uk

And in the article from last week;

But the airport said it was the "new normal" with changes to security areas under way. A spokesperson said:

"Our customers are queuing downstairs, however this is the new normal as queuing space upstairs is closed, due to our security building works. Customers may feel this adds to the queuing time however it does not, it is just an alternative route direct to security."

BHX passengers claim 'massive queues' and BHX says 'it's the new normal'

Holidaymakers said they experienced long delays but airport says queues did not exceed 30 minutes

www.birminghammail.co.uk

Does advising people to turn up 3 hours early really help or does it just create extra bottlenecks?

Not everyone is going to turn up 3 hours early, I would not expect to have to turn up early with carry on when I'd already checked in.

 

[Nibbles]

Yes, the queue has been relocated downstairs given the lack of space - its not an extension of the queue, just in a different place.

When that spokesperson said 'new normal' i read that as a 'you can expect this at busy periods during construction', not 'this is what it'll be like forever more'

Of course, whilst some people might find themselves waiting, there are plenty passing through with no wait whatsoever at different times. Alas we never hear those stories.

 

[TM3]

As per the Oxford Dictionary online:

"the new normal"

"a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or expected."

To me having read the articles it seems it is at least 2 hours to get through security and probably more.

If this is merely the line in a different location then it appears 2-3 hours is the "new normal", as per the explanation given.

Regardless of the reason for the line this is not an amount of time I am prepared to spend standing in a queue in an airport if I have an alternative. However much I want to support my local airport.

I would not be surprised if many of these holiday makers, who may only fly 1 time per year, choose a different airport next year after this experience.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

As per the Oxford Dictionary online:

"the new normal"

"a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or expected."

I doubt that the spokesperson was thinking of the Oxford English Dictionary definition when they used the phrase.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

So disappointed in the airport.They’ve had all winter to prepare to for summer November-End of March.
Was gonna praise the airport the other day however seeing videos and photos makes me think what’s made this like Dubai a few weeks ago.

 

[nwoody2001]

New Normal (whilst construction work happens)
- queuing downstairs rather than upstairs
- potential for some extra modest delays due to works (over 90% of pax still get through security in less than 20mins)

Not a new normal
- queuing outside
- 3 hours queues

Everyone is allowed their opinion, but my opinion is that everyone is being somewhat dramatic here acting as if BHX isn't struggling in the same way as nearly every other airport in the UK right now. BHX has made clear that construction work on the security area is ongoing until June 2024 and there there is potential for some impacts... which is exactly what is happening...

And if you think its just BHX, a 30 second google search shows whats been happening in the UK in the last 5 days...

Manchester Airport - Government issues statement after chaos at Manchester Airport (issued 3 days ago)
https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ernment-issues-statement-after-chaos-29071103

Stansted Airport - Chaos at London Stansted as power outage causes major delays (issued1 day ago)

Major delays at London airport after power outage

It affected airport systems including check-in, security and baggage.

metro.co.uk

Liverpool Airport - Flight delays warning after power failure at Liverpool airport​

Flight delays warning after power failure at Liverpool airport

One passenger reported being stranded on the tarmac for almost three hours as Liverpool John Lennon Airport tried to resolve a power outage - while another said a "full Ryanair flight" had been sat waiting at Dublin Airport since 1.30pm.

news.sky.com

Yes we need to do better and I'm hopeful come June we should start to see some improvements after this big piece of investment is completed... but from my personal perspective, some people just need to calm down a little!

 

[TM3]

So no need to turn up 3 hours before your flight is due to leave?

 

[JF57]

You are willfully misinterpreting what i said.

It IS still being built. Yes, maybe the actual building work is done, but it is NOT finished. The only way we will know is once the work is complete - and i will reserve judgment until that time.

In any case, i know several people working in the delivery team for the airport, whos only focus is on making it work properly. Who knows, they might get it wrong, but no one should be daft enough to think that everyone is sitting around with their fingers crossed.

Remember, also, that the current phase is all about delivery of the infrastructure. Operational planning can only really happen once all the main work is complete, and new logistics arrangements can then bed in. In other words, if the whole place is a nightmare a month or so after the works are complete we can probably all then agree that something has gone wrong.

The only thing to think about is queue time. It doesnt matter if the queue is 5 yards or 5 miles long, its all about how long. I suspect the design might have a longer average length of queue, but with a lower total time through security. No airport wants everyone stuck in a giant (time)security queue because they cant be spending money then. But we shall see what happens.

On engineers - the B737 Max MCAS debacle was not an engineering problem, it was a management problem. Many have written about how Boeing's problem is management induced with the wrong incentives (and pressures) on the engineering team.

Anyway, no point debating this much further. I'll reserve further opinions until the whole system is open - and if its all terrible at that point, do feel free to say that you told me so!

Clearly a lot of concerns about how the system will work when everything is completed. Are there any plans available in the public domain that might help us understand layout and the passenger flows?

 

[Ianbutty]

Birmingham Airport passengers stranded as parking firm halts services

Holidaymakers have told the BBC they were left searching for their cars for hours.

www.bbc.co.uk

More poor PR for the airport, although not the airport operators fault.

 

[Nethercote2019]

Birmingham Airport passengers stranded as parking firm halts services

Holidaymakers have told the BBC they were left searching for their cars for hours.

www.bbc.co.uk

More poor PR for the airport, although not the airport operators fault.

It’s a company off airport I remember mr Kehoe used to label them as airport parasites

 

[Ianbutty]

Maybe MB1 and thanks for your response. But for balance when everything returns to normal or better, will they report that ? No. Good news is not worthy of reporting. Sorry state of affairs, really.

Hey ho.

 

[Aviador]

UK syndrome strikes again. UK airports are like patchwork qwilts full of piecemeal add-ons to try to make things work. Nobody plans for the future or if they do, government or council planning departments water the plans down. Anywhere else in the world, like the US or China, they just get on with it.

 

[rollo]

Maybe MB1 and thanks for your response. But for balance when everything returns to normal or better, will they report that ? No. Good news is not worthy of reporting. Sorry state of affairs, really.

Hey ho.

Sort of agree but the problem is when something is working as it should its not really news therefore no need to comment best to have planned properly for the temporary (hopefully) situation

UK syndrome strikes again. UK airports are like patchwork qwilts full of piecemeal add-ons to try to make things work. Nobody plans for the future or if they do, government or council planning departments water the plans down. Anywhere else in the world, like the US or China, they just get on with it.

Exactly, there is practically no chance these days how long has the third runway at Heathrow saga been going and as you are well aware LBA spent years trying to get a new terminal accepted but ends up with a major extension to existing which no doubt will end up in future years with various bits added on BHX style.

Just heard that BHX have announced on their X feed that they have completed the new security area and now awaiting regulatory approval I don't do twitter (X) so cannot check.

Hopefully onwards and upwards including the new lifts.

 

[richard winterbourn]

Today was the big test, the last weekend before the new security system comes on stream at the beginning of June.

So, how did this morning go? Obviously long queues but, with careful management by airport staff, was it deemed successful?

In truth, i hope it was, and from here on in, Brum should be one of the easiest of the major airports for getting through security.

 

[JF57]

I followed a couple up the naughty stairs this morning and they succeeded beating the queues downstairs to the lifts. Cheeky.

So there is a way round the lifts either for speed or if you are not comfortable in lifts.

 

[Vile8er]

So there is a way round the lifts either for speed or if you are not comfortable in lifts.

Wouldn't mind knowing where they are for 13th June as the better half isn't good with lifts

 

[Jon Dempsey]

UK syndrome strikes again. UK airports are like patchwork qwilts full of piecemeal add-ons to try to make things work. Nobody plans for the future or if they do, government or council planning departments water the plans down. Anywhere else in the world, like the US or China, they just get on with it.

Absolutely,
Spain and Greece have had a national policy towards aviation for years. Their’s are driver by tourism, but isn’t UK business important too?

For years, under Thatcher and previous gov’ts. we had a policy of limiting International Gateways.
LHR, LGW, MAN and PKI (I think) had been granted this status. BHX repeatedly applied only to be told that there was no need for a further gateway.

When Stansted was given approval to expand, that gateway limitation was coincidently removed.


I’m not complaining about the Londoncentric attitudes of government, just pointing out some of the difficulties the BHX management have faced when they have been aggressively trying to improve the facilities and range of destinations.