Birmingham Airport - General Thread

[wolfheze]

Do you think he's referencing the as of yet unpublished master plan, or the proposal below which surfaced a few years ago and which I believe had since been dismissed.

Even if the new terminal was located on the site of the HS2 station, passengers from the existing International Station would then be faced with a 10 minute transfer to the new terminal.

Whilst HS2 "could" be a game changer for Birmingham by hugely increasing its catchment area, I'd urge caution. Even with a new terminal on the site of HS2, journey times to the airport would only be 40 minutes for those people living immediately around Euston Station in London. Add in the journey time to Euston and its unlikely people travelling up from London would get to the airport in less than an hour - not much better than access to current London airports. Even with HS2, I don't personally see many people travelling up from London, or even down from Manchester, Leeds or Sheffield (each with stations on the HS2 line).

The best use of HS2 for Birmingham airport would be to build new lines adjacent to HS2 connecting the airport (and Birmingham) directly to Leicester, Nottingham and Derby, providing each with an approx. 30 minute journey time to the airport. Think Midlands HS3/Crossrail. Combined with the current convenient connections to Birmingham and Coventry, this would certainly improve connections to the airport.

An even more ambitious proposal would be to build a circular rail route around Birmingham, connecting the Birmingham to Bristol line to HS2 at the airport. Besides giving Worcester, Redditch and Solihull direct rail connections to the airport, it would also provide onward connections to the HS2 network for services to the North. The line could also continue around the M42 to Sutton Coldfield, Walsall and even Wolverhampton.

The airport has recently commented that traffic on the M42 around the airport has meant people missing their flights. The obvious answer to this is get them off the roads and onto public transport.

Could you tell me if the above drawing is to scale?

 

[Coathanger16]

Could you tell me if the above drawing is to scale?

I doubt its a perfectly scaled drawing - it was meant to give an impression of potential future expansion.

 

[wolfheze]

You can probably guess why I asked the question as the new proposed site looks smaller than the present one. I know life is short but does moving an entire airport a mile or so to the right in order to save someone a few minutes on their journey time justify the cost?

 

[Coathanger16]

in order to save someone a few minutes on their journey time justify the cost?

The move would be about much more than journey times. Considering the current site is very constrained, if BHX wants to expand beyond 20mppa, they will most likely need the new site.

Also consider that most pax arriving at the airport by train will be arriving at the existing International station and not the HS2 interchange, moving the airport to the new site would increase the transit time from station to terminal for them.

 

[JF57]

They handle Monarch at BHX and are rubbish.

Following previous comments by me and others last night we landed on ZB 1165 front LARNACA at 00:55. By the time we got to the belt at 01:15 it was full of bags. On many flights around the same time in last 2 years no bags for more than 30 minutes.
Hopefully anot improvement to be maintained!

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Following previous comments by me and others last night we landed on ZB 1165 front LARNACA at 00:55. By the time we got to the belt at 01:15 it was full of bags. On many flights around the same time in last 2 years no bags for more than 30 minutes.
Hopefully anot improvement to be maintained!

Hi JF,

My gripe with baggage reclaim is not the length of wait as I've never had to wait too long <touches head and crosses digits>.

My gripe is that the area looks so dismal, small and there are piles of unclaimed baggage, either at the handling agents' desk or by the oversized baggage carousel. It gives visitors to the region a bad first impression.

In my opinion, the management team should be striving to have all public areas looking as good as both public levels of the international pier.

 

[JF57]

Hi JF,

My gripe with baggage reclaim is not the length of wait as I've never had to wait too long <touches head and crosses digits>.

My gripe is that the area looks so dismal, small and there are piles of unclaimed baggage, either at the handling agents' desk or by the oversized baggage carousel. It gives visitors to the region a bad first impression.

In my opinion, the management team should be striving to have all public areas looking as good as both public levels of the international pier.

Indeed the area is dire and needs quite a lot of work. We had suffered a lot with baggage delays when flying in with Monarch until last night. Others had reported similar. I would rather have a speedy service than a nice looking reclaim hall but it would be better to have both.

On the subject of dire areas the gates around number 60 for the bus transfers to the planes are awful. Not enough seating. I did not see any toilets down there but I did not look that hard. The PA system is terrible.

Whether steps are used on a remote stand or at the terminal they could do with covers. They must be awful in bad weather which I have fortunately not experienced.

It would be nice to see where the money is to be spent in the next 6 months or so. I have seen a few areas mentioned including the drop off area but not a full list.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Indeed, delays to collecting baggage totally pisses people off, especially after having flown in, and the hassle at the other airport.

And your point about gate 60, I have moaned about ( on this forum) previously.

That area could be redecorated and expanded (to the standard of uptairs) if the management team sorted.

Singing from the same hymnsheet I think.

 

[IanFarquharson]

Holidaymakers face Christmas travel chaos unless airport service staff are given new contracts, Unite warned today.

More than 1,700 workers face being left in limbo when baggage carrier firm Aviator closes its operations at Birmingham, Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle airports on November 30.

The staff work in baggage handling, refuelling and check-in for major airlines including British Airways, Virgin, Thomas Cook and easyJet.



Unite has called for more clarity over the employees' futures, warning there could be Christmas travel disruption if they are not taken on by other companies 'as a matter of urgency'.

The union said there were some 1,200 Aviator employees at Gatwick, 196 at Birmingham, 192 at Manchester and 145 at Newcastle.

They also service airlines such as Monarch, Thomson and American Airlines.


Sweden-based Aviator is understood to be ending its contracts at the airports for financial reasons.

Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: 'Unite will be seeking assurances from the company, airlines, other handlers and ultimately, the airports that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

'It is a matter of serious concern for both our members and the travelling public that, so close to Christmas, most of the airlines have not announced where their baggage handling and check-in contracts are going.



'The airport owners and the airlines, which require these services for their planes to land and take-off efficiently, need to get their skates on to sort this out, without any detriment to the staff jobs, pay and conditions - otherwise Christmas travel chaos is on the cards.'







A spokesman for Aviator said: 'We note the statement issued by Unite today and completely understand the desire for more clarity on plans.

'We're in discussions with a large number of stakeholders including airlines to ensure that this process is orderly and well-managed.

'We're consulting with employees and their representatives to deal with any concerns they have and providing further information as and when we have it and will continue to do so.

'We remain in close cooperation with the unions as well as other stakeholders. Our focus is on maximising employment and meeting the needs of our airline customers while minimising disruption and we are working tirelessly to achieve that goal well in advance of the Christmas travel period.'

 

[Ray Finkle]

Dnata?

 

[58terminus]

Dnata?

?

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Glenn works for Aviator. Hope he gets sorted. Maybe a switch to Swissport?

 

[jfy1999]

Larger Birmingham Airport integrated with HS2 could give “supersonic boost” to economy

Birmingham City Council leader John Clancy, responding to today’s announcement by the Government about a third runway for Heathrow Airport, puts the case for making more of Birmingham Airport:

• While around 11 million people currently use Birmingham Airport, the facilities in place will reach capacity before the HS2 station arrives in 2026. Building new terminal facilities integrated with the HS2 station would connect the centre of the country to the world, and also open the opportunity to create a larger airport in the future.
• With HS2, the Airport’s catchment area will be dramatically enlarged into London, giving it an increasingly national role. Travel time between London Euston and Birmingham International station is currently 70 minutes and will be reduced to around 40 minutes from 2026 with the arrival of HS2. This compares very favourably to the current travel time from London Euston to London Heathrow.
• In 2014, the Airport delivered approximately £1.1 billion to the regional economy and £1.7 billion to the national economy, and supported around 40,000 jobs. This will have only increased as passenger numbers have risen.
• Doubling the number of flights and passenger through-put at Birmingham could add 31,000 jobs on site and boost catchment area employment by 243,000 jobs, according to the West Midlands Economic Forum.
• Redeveloping Birmingham Airport is a key element of the Strategic Economic Plans of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Black Country and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnerships.
• Birmingham Airport has huge potential and the ability to open up access to key international markets for thousands of the region’s businesses, and will be significantly bolstered by HS2 bringing 35 million people within two hours’ travel.
• The economic catchment area of Birmingham Airport encompasses some 14 million people, providing close to £263 billion of national GVA and has the largest share of manufacturing activity in the UK. With 15,000 exporters it is one of the largest concentrations of exporters nationally typically supplying high-value added products, most notably vehicles, transport machinery and component parts around the world.
• Growth prospects in the UK and across the EU are challenging, but growth in other regions of the world continues to accelerate. Improved global access to these markets would stimulate demand for the high-value added products the Greater Birmingham area produces.
• Failure to improve the reach of Birmingham Airport will enable economic rivals to gain an advantage and stunt UK export performance, especially when there is a need to access growth markets now – China alone has added 70 new airports in the past five years.

http://birminghamnewsroom.com/large...h-hs2-could-give-supersonic-boost-to-economy/

 

[58terminus]

Larger Birmingham Airport integrated with HS2 could give “supersonic boost” to economy

Birmingham City Council leader John Clancy, responding to today’s announcement by the Government about a third runway for Heathrow Airport, puts the case for making more of Birmingham Airport:

• While around 11 million people currently use Birmingham Airport, the facilities in place will reach capacity before the HS2 station arrives in 2026. Building new terminal facilities integrated with the HS2 station would connect the centre of the country to the world, and also open the opportunity to create a larger airport in the future.
• With HS2, the Airport’s catchment area will be dramatically enlarged into London, giving it an increasingly national role. Travel time between London Euston and Birmingham International station is currently 70 minutes and will be reduced to around 40 minutes from 2026 with the arrival of HS2. This compares very favourably to the current travel time from London Euston to London Heathrow.
• In 2014, the Airport delivered approximately £1.1 billion to the regional economy and £1.7 billion to the national economy, and supported around 40,000 jobs. This will have only increased as passenger numbers have risen.
• Doubling the number of flights and passenger through-put at Birmingham could add 31,000 jobs on site and boost catchment area employment by 243,000 jobs, according to the West Midlands Economic Forum.
• Redeveloping Birmingham Airport is a key element of the Strategic Economic Plans of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Black Country and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnerships.
• Birmingham Airport has huge potential and the ability to open up access to key international markets for thousands of the region’s businesses, and will be significantly bolstered by HS2 bringing 35 million people within two hours’ travel.
• The economic catchment area of Birmingham Airport encompasses some 14 million people, providing close to £263 billion of national GVA and has the largest share of manufacturing activity in the UK. With 15,000 exporters it is one of the largest concentrations of exporters nationally typically supplying high-value added products, most notably vehicles, transport machinery and component parts around the world.
• Growth prospects in the UK and across the EU are challenging, but growth in other regions of the world continues to accelerate. Improved global access to these markets would stimulate demand for the high-value added products the Greater Birmingham area produces.
• Failure to improve the reach of Birmingham Airport will enable economic rivals to gain an advantage and stunt UK export performance, especially when there is a need to access growth markets now – China alone has added 70 new airports in the past five years.

http://birminghamnewsroom.com/large...h-hs2-could-give-supersonic-boost-to-economy/

 

[58terminus]

Doubling the number of flights and passenger through-put at Birmingham could add 31,000 jobs on site and boost catchment area employment by 243,000 jobs, according to the West Midlands Economic Forum.

Why do these people keep quoting these ridiculous employment figures? 274,000 jobs!!
Please leave this kind of hype to Michael O'Leary who at least knows what he is doing and I'm sure has a little giggle to himself every time the media quotes his 1000 or whatever jobs for every new route Ryanair launch.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Has anybody noticed the lack of press releases lately?

We've got four new routes from Ryanair starting next year (including one not currently served) which, as far as I can see, have not been mentioned? In fairness Ryanair themselves have not officially launched S17 from Birmingham, hopefully that means there may still be a new route or two to come.

Cobalt now have Larnaca bookable and due to start in 6 weeks or so. Surely a press release would give it more exposure to help bookings over the winter?

Fly One also have Chisinau bookable which again hasn't been mentioned. It may not be a long haul glamour route but it's a destination that is currently unserved and another great Eastern European capital added to the list.

Finally after adding 15 new routes next summer Jet2 have now added seven more yet you'd find it hard to know.

Hopefully it's all being worked upon and they will appear in due course but it just seems a little odd that there hasn't even been any acknowledgement on social media.

 

[User001]

I know Manchester went through a phase like this where no new routes seemed to be advertised, but by god did you know about it if a new perfume in the duty free was launched.

Maybe there is a re shuffle happening, as again, that's what happened up the road. Nothing for ages and then suddenly, it was like a bombardment.

I also think Paul Kehoe has been a bit quiet of late. I expected a bit more regarding the runway decision given the amount of exposure before he decision. There have been snippets, but nothing more about what exactly it is they intend to do now, as surely they had a plan B (be pretty foolish if they didn't have a plan B ready).

 

[nwoody2001]

Agreed Ray, my twitter feed has been making more announcements than the airport have of late ...

Though just for clarification, Ryanair launched their summer program from BHX days after jet2 was announced, this is as official as it gets ...

http://corporate.ryanair.com/news/n...es-birmingham-summer-2017-schedule/?market=en

... though Porto was added after.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Many thanks, must have forgotten about that. It would have been nice for the airport to issue a release about Porto, after all they did about Monarch's one new route to Stockholm. It also wouldn't take much for a Facebook and Twitter post.

Likewise the others. If an official press release is being worked upon then fine but surely some early social media coverage would be of great benefit. As said, any new make up, perfume and new gadgets in duty free seem to make the headlines.

I think that Paul Kehoe has been travelling quite a lot lately which may be why he's been quiet. I believe that he was not long back to work when he was then off to Hong Kong. He has also recently taken up the role of President of the BCC which must take up quite a bit of time, hopefully his work ties in to promoting his airport.

I think any plans for the future will come out in the master plan next year. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

 

[58terminus]

Has anybody noticed the lack of press releases lately?

Yes.To be fair could the airport be wary of making a big deal of the small airline low frequency route announcements?They have been left red faced a few times in the recent past.
Generally though i think they need to look at how they market themselves and concentrate a bit more on
telling people what they have now not what they might but probably wont have in 30 years.