Using Birmingham Airport (Questions & Reviews)

[Ray Finkle]

I've thought of one (very small) negative about Jet2 and that was both ways the air conditioning on the aircraft was less than useless. Unless you were a few inches away it wasn't even noticeable. On the way out the aircraft felt very warm but not too bad, on the return however it was bordering on uncomfortable. When I had a wander along the plane there were plenty of people using the safety cards to fan themselves.

A minor detail though

 

[flymetothemoon]

I've thought of one (very small) negative about Jet2 and that was both ways the air conditioning on the aircraft was less than useless. Unless you were a few inches away it wasn't even noticeable. On the way out the aircraft felt very warm but not too bad, on the return however it was bordering on uncomfortable. When I had a wander along the plane there were plenty of people using the safety cards to fan themselves.

A minor detail though

Got to say no such problems on G-JZHJ Out or G-JZHM Back

 

[Brum X]

Introducing our new ePassport gates, unveiled by Emma Moore, Border Force’s Chief Operating Officer and Bob Graham, Birmingham Airport’s Operations Director, will boost the number of gates in operation from 10 to 15. They will provide a faster route through the border, processing a higher number of passengers, reducing queuing times.

 

[Coathanger16]

Just got back yesterday from a week in Spain near Alicante having flown with Jet2. First time having flown with Jet2 and would be happy to fly with them again.

We weren't on a package holiday, just having used Jet2 for the flights, and we aren't exactly a young family (youngest is 19), so can't comment on that side of things. Flights were largely good. Everything was done very efficiently helping to reduce delays.

I'm probably being a scrooge here, but my only negative was the automated announcements "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls..." and generally bubbly and excited nature of the cabin crew was a bit grating. Having flown the first week in September most children had gone back to school and I think it was fair to say the average age of passengers on board was definitely over 50! (I think I saw 1 child under 10 and probably no more than 15 18-25 year olds). I appreciate that the core of Jet2's business is family holidays but on both flights you could sense a lot of people rolling eyes and could almost hear the "are you really doing this?" from a lot of passengers every time an announcement came on.

As I said, I appreciate Jet2 is largely a "family" airline and given how much they're doing for BHX right now I'm more than willing to put up with it.

I did notice that both times at BHX a jet bridge wasn't used (although we were parked at gates with them) whilst in Alicante we did use a jet bridge both times. It made me wonder just how much does BHX charge to use the jet bridge? Or are they so cheap or even free in Alicante Jet2 do make use of them? I did notice an easyJet next to us in Alicante didn't so I doubt they're free!

I do have a point for discussion though: seating in emergency exit row seats.

On the outbound flight to Alicante, we were unfortunate to have a "medical emergency". With the average age of passengers on board that's not entirely unexpected but you never think it will happen on your flight.

Long story short a man in his late 60's became unresponsive, with as far as I could make out cabin crew attempting to use oxygen and defibrillators to resuscitate him. They manged to lie him down either across the seats or on the floor, and luckily we weren't very far out from Alicante, so the pilot sped up somewhat and we got 'priority' landing.

At this point the "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, we are now coming into land" announcement was VERY jarring given practically everyone on board was wondering if this guy was going to make it off alive!

After experiencing the fastest taxi I've ever seen on a commercial aircraft, we pulled up to the gate, paramedics came on board and the passenger had recovered sufficiently to walk off the aircraft by himself almost looking like nothing had happened. Not sure exactly what happened, but some people thought he was diabetic (which from his size wasn't surprising). He was travelling with his wife (normal weight) and sister (very much overweight).

What has this all got to do with emergency exit rows you ask? Well as it happens the three of them had been sitting in one of the over wing emergency exit rows.

Now as well all know there is a minimum age that a passenger can be for them to be seated in an emergency exit row, and other than being instructed how to use the emergency exit and asking if they are fit to do so there are no further requirements.

From when the incident started though, this emergency exit essentially became unavailable - I appreciate that with 7 other emergency exits that's likely not an issue given that none of the others become unavailable for whatever reason - which is far from certain!

Even without the medical incident, my family discussed later how likely these 3 would have been able to operate the emergency exit. We found ourselves asking, and I ask the rest of you what you think, should there be an upper age limit introduced on emergency exit row seats, and should the general requirements be stricter?

 

[Brum X]

Great report Coathanger16

I have to say Re: Jet2 that i am getting a sense they are increasingly becoming abit like Ryanair or is that an unfair comparison. I have to admit that i have not flown with Jet2 but as a i dont have children and like the quiet things in life so to speak, i have to admit that i would probably look at other carriers if they were available on my particular route if all you get is this "Hi-de-Hi hello campers, We are Jet2 and everybody has taken a happy pill, lol) This would really grate on me if im being honest. I hate all this over the top, trying to make you happy service.

Norweigan were perfect in this respect when i travelled with them 2 years ago and im expecting something similar with Vueling in a couple of weeks.

As i have said i have not flown with Jet2 so i may be being a little unfair ??

 

[Coathanger16]

"Hi-de-Hi hello campers, We are Jet2 and everybody has taken a happy pill

I would say at times that is very accurate tbh

I've never flown with Ryanair, and I haven't flown with TUI/TCX in over 10 years so I can't comment. If anyone has flown with TUI/TCX recently are they the same as Jet2 in the "Hi-de-Hi hello campers" way? If so it's next to impossible to fly from BHX without that (at least to the typical holiday destinations). Cough...easyJet...cough...are you paying attention...

 

[Brum X]

I would say at times that is very accurate tbh

I've never flown with Ryanair, and I haven't flown with TUI/TCX in over 10 years so I can't comment. If anyone has flown with TUI/TCX recently are they the same as Jet2 in the "Hi-de-Hi hello campers" way? If so it's next to impossible to fly from BHX without that (at least to the typical holiday destinations). Cough...easyJet...cough...are you paying attention...

Or do it the geeky way and go Iberia via Madrid, or Vueling via Barcelona just to avoid the "Over the top moment" and do a bit of plane spotting and another trip report in the process.

However my suggestion is no good for families with children on a serious note.

 

[Ray Finkle]

If anyone has flown with TUI/TCX recently are they the same as Jet2 in the "Hi-de-Hi hello campers" way?

I've used TUI, Thomas Cook and Jet2 in the last 12 months and in my opinion Jet2 come out on top, although I had no issues at all with the other two.

I didn't find the cabin crew to be 'Hi-de-Hi' and definitely not over friendly, to me they just seemed like people who genuinely enjoyed their work rather than just going through the motions as others can appear. The automated announcements are definitely not the best but I'm not sure that would be reason enough for me to avoid an airline, again just my opinion.

To me Jet2 were on par with the Norwegian cabin crew, enthusiastic about their roles but not too in your face. If the announcements are a real issue then TCX or TUi may be a better option.

Great report and I'm glad that all ended well for the sick gentleman

I did notice that both times at BHX a jet bridge wasn't used (although we were parked at gates with them) whilst in Alicante we did use a jet bridge both times. It made me wonder just how much does BHX charge to use the jet bridge? Or are they so cheap or even free in Alicante Jet2 do make use of them? I did notice an easyJet next to us in Alicante didn't so I doubt they're free!

We had a jet bridge when arriving in Ibiza although the return was from a remote stand. No idea about BHX, there is nothing mentioned in the fees and charges booklet.

 

[Jerry]

It may be that at Alicante Jet2 don't have the option of not using the bridge while at BHX they do. Also it's possible that not all their staff are trained in their use.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Don't low-cost airlines often eschew the use of jet bridges because of these airlines' quick turnaround times?

 

[Coathanger16]

It may be that at Alicante Jet2 don't have the option of not using the bridge while at BHX they do. Also it's possible that not all their staff are trained in their use.

The easyJet next to us in Alicante wasn't using it so not sure why Jet2 wouldn't be able to. Back at BHX I could see a cost saving in that they don't train anyone to use them and don't have to pay any fee to use them either. I wasn't surprised at getting one on arrival in Alicante as we had the medical incident, but I was pleasantly surprised at getting one on the way back!

Don't low-cost airlines often eschew the use of jet bridges because of these airlines' quick turnaround times?

I think the quicker turnaround times is made possible by using both the front and rear steps. I'm not sure if its possible to use the jet bridge at the front whilst using steps at the rear. If its a case of jet bridge or steps and not a mix then that's probably why low-cost airlines prefer using steps.

In Alicante, we may have got one coming back as the aircraft had arrived from Stansted but then wasn't due to depart to BHX for almost 2 hours I think hence they didn't need to be quick with the turnaround.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The easyJet next to us in Alicante wasn't using it so not sure why Jet2 wouldn't be able to. Back at BHX I could see a cost saving in that they don't train anyone to use them and don't have to pay any fee to use them either. I wasn't surprised at getting one on arrival in Alicante as we had the medical incident, but I was pleasantly surprised at getting one on the way back!



I think the quicker turnaround times is made possible by using both the front and rear steps. I'm not sure if its possible to use the jet bridge at the front whilst using steps at the rear. If its a case of jet bridge or steps and not a mix then that's probably why low-cost airlines prefer using steps.

In Alicante, we may have got one coming back as the aircraft had arrived from Stansted but then wasn't due to depart to BHX for almost 2 hours I think hence they didn't need to be quick with the turnaround.

On two occasions we've used Virgin Australia departing Melbourne Tullamarine on domestic flights where there seemed to be a combination of what you describe. The aircraft were both Boeing 737-800s.

We left the gate area along a passageway towards the aircraft. Those sitting at the front of the aircraft continued along the passageway to board the aircraft by what looked like a jet bridge, whereas those sitting towards the rear (us on both occasions) left the passageway partway along, descended steps to the apron and walked a short distance to board via external steps.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Jet2 BHX-AGP-BHX

Early Sunday morning BHX was pretty busy with a decent line at the Jet2 desks. As ever things moved quickly and our bags were dropped off in no time at all. Security was flowing well and took less than 10 minutes. The departure lounge was busy but not heaving as I have known it before, with different authorities across the region having different weeks for half term the passengers have been spread out across the last three weeks this year. We had the usual great service in Wetherspoons the headed for the calmness of the pier to wait.

Boarding was by bus to stand 75 from gate 64, the screens showed 'preparing gate 64' for about 25 mins before going to 'boarding' with only about 25 mins to departure. We had been scheduled to be on the SmartLynx A321 but after suffering considerable damage from a bird strike in Malaga the day before a 738 had positioned in to BHX to cover. I don't know what happened to the excess pax but I'm told that the return to Birmingham was spread across a 738 and a 733.

Outbound flight was on G-GDFJ which is almost 19 years old but must have had a cabin refit recently as the inside was tip top. Everyone was boarded on time but we had a delay which the crew put down to the aircraft change, FR24 tells me that we departed 35 mins late which is really no bother to me. The crew were friendly and pleasant as you'd expect from Jet2.

Arrival in to Malaga was due to be on time but a few circuits overhead Fuengirola followed by a couple of figure 8's over the Med meant we landed 20 mins late, again no bother to me. I had to laugh at a person behind who kept saying 'why is he turning this way when the airport is over there?' and 'where's he going now it's not this way?' as if the crew were choosing to do this

We were straight through Malaga arrivals with the wait for bags around 20-25 mins.

This morning we took advantage of the resort flight check in service getting our cases tagged in the hotel reception and then taken to the airport. This meant that we went straight to security at Malaga which took no time at all. We were departing from area B so took advantage of those comfy loungers overlooking the runway

When boarding commenced they invited families to board first then within about 90 seconds announced boarding for the rear rows. We'd already joined the queue (being a family) but were then told to wait as we were towards the front Other than that everything else was fine.

Today's flight home was on G-JZBM which is only 6 months old and was immaculate. We pushed back early but arrived back in Birmingham a few minutes behind schedule due to strong headwinds, I think the flight time was just over 3 hours. Arrived on 57R with a short walk to UKBF, there wasn't many families so we walked straight to a desk and were through in less than a minute (I think we were lucky as we were amongst the first off on a stand close to arrivals as when we looked back plenty of people were streaming in). Our bags were out within 15 minutes or so and after a quick pause at the arrivals World Duty Free to pick up my Scotch that I bought on the way out we were on our way.

Jet2 were great yet again and the resort check in worked really well

BHX was like clockwork both out and back in again

No complaints at all with either

I found it incredible that the people in front of us kicked off with the cabin crew when asked to stow their tray table and raise the window blind for landing. 'We ain't gonna land for anovva twenny minutes' she kept saying. The crew handled it very well.

I also couldn't believe that whilst the bags were coming out children were being allowed to 'play' on the baggage belt whilst next to their parents. One kept jumping on the belt, 'riding' it for a short distance before jumping off and doing it again, what I assume was his Dad thought it funny. Kids have been seriously injured and worse on these things and the huge signs are there for a reason. I almost said something but the look from Mrs F made me think twice, I'd have probably only gotten abuse back anyway.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Sounds like a great trip. Glad you enjoyed it.

The parent of the kids on the bagage belt would no doubt have complained like mad if one had been injured. BHX would be to blame and he would probably say he should have been told it's a potentially dangerous activity. Some people need protecting from themselves.

The sorry thing is that these kids will grow into that kind of parent themselves.

 

[58terminus]

Sounds like a great trip. Glad you enjoyed it.

The parent of the kids on the bagage belt would no doubt have complained like mad if one had been injured. BHX would be to blame and he would probably say he should have been told it's a potentially dangerous activity. Some people need protecting from themselves.

The sorry thing is that these kids will grow into that kind of parent themselves.

Unfortunately LocalYocal these kids are probably third generation of families who behave like that

 

[Ray Finkle]

I forgot to add that hoardings are up in the baggage area and it looks to me like installation of the long rumoured new baggage belt.

 

[CraigW92]

So I returned on Thursday (15th) from once again a lovely week away in Gran Canaria using BHX for the second time, and once again it was a very enjoyable visit

We departed Cardiff at around 03:30 and arrived at BHX shortly after 05:30, We paid the £2 to drop off outside the terminal and it was a very quick and efficient process, We approached the TUI bag drop area, which was very quiet , A friendly greeting arrived and we were asked if we had used the self service bag drop before, indeed we had so we proceeded to scan the boarding pass and place the bags on the scale to weigh and print the baggage tags off, first time I’ve used the TUI self bag drop and it’s very efficient, took around 2-3 mins to put both bags through and then head over to put the bags on the conveyor belt. Security was a breeze, very quick and considering we were heading through at the same time as the business flights ,There was only a 4-5 minute queue, most of the security screening lanes were open so allowed for an extremely quick and easy process. Once through security we headed straight to the wetherspoons for a breakfast, not too bad with regards to prices and the food came within a 5 minute period within ordering and also piping hot, arriving early meant we had a bit more time to kill, after a brief look in the shops and duty free again, we headed up towards the gates to have a look out of the window at the various aircraft on stand , arriving and departing.



At around 07:40 the gate was displayed on the departure screens, after a short walk and also down some stairs we arrived at gate 55 ( I think ) fairly pleasant area actually, seems to be fairly newly renovated, a selection of 4 gates all with plenty of seating areas, after around a 10-15 minute wait the bus arrived outside and the flight was called, G-TAWN was the aircraft that the bus brought us too, front steps only which meant there was a bit of a queue but not too bad, I then proceeded to my seat which I chose for this flight and also the return flight of 7A, I made the point last year that the Jet2 legroom exceeded the TUI equivalent and it seemed it was the case, The cabin seems a lot more cramped than that of Jet2, The flight was quickly boarded and surprisingly only around 120 onboard out of 189 which allowed for a very quiet and uneventful flight, The captain gave a briefing on the route and also said he would be back with us with further updates in the cruise, lovely crew on the way out who were very friendly and also couldn’t do enough for you, a nice tough from the first officer giving regular updates on where we were and also if there was a sight to see he would point it out to look out for, there was a bit of turbulence towards the Madeira area, however it was a fairly quiet flight and one that made for an enjoyable start to the holiday

View attachment 11417


After around 4 hours 20 minutes we arrived into LPA we were quickly on stand which turned out to be an air bridge at C13 and very quickly offloaded, Passport Control has no queue at all and also the wait for bags was very minimal, around 25 mins from exiting the aircraft to boarding the bus to get to our resort , A small 15 minute wait for other passengers to get bags and get on the bus which was jammed packed, I think mainly with passengers from the BHX and MAN flights, The bus dropped us off second into our hotel in Puerto Rico



The hotel itself was much improved on last year, Food and drinks options had been improved dramatically with more branded drinks and also more cooked meats in the evenings, Rooms are also were recently renovated and of course one of the main highlights of staying in Puerto Rico is the incredible views you will have, simply breathtaking, The weather itself was also great in the 7 days that we stayed all 7 were sunny, highs of around 26 in day and a pleasant 17 in the evenings, I’d say the hotel was around half full or perhaps a little more. Of course the sign of a good holiday is one that flies by and this one certainly did the 7 nights just flew and before we know it it was time to return home.








We had a look at our our coach pick up time from the TUI desk the day before and the pick up time was 11:15 for our 14:00 departure back to BHX, a 40 or so minute coach ride back to the airport and we were greeted by a TUI rep which told us which desks to go to, I think there was around 8 desks for TUI which were for all the Uk customers and also the TUI Scandinavia flights, all fairly quick and efficient mind, Security was also very quick and the process similar to BHX only took around 15 minutes from bag drop to walking through through the duty free area , The flight was displayed on the boards of the gate C13 ( the same gate as which we arrived a week ago), a very quick boarding process again and this time a much fuller flight I think there could have only been a few spare seats and this time a different frame- G-TAWU, the pilot announced we’d get away as soon as we could, A small delay being that we had to cross the arriving runway before we could depart, although departing 20 mins late the flight actually landed 13 mins early back into Birmingham. The flight itself was once again a very enjoyable one, the crew were all very nice and like the outbound flight couldn’t do enough for you, some lovely views returning and also the most beautiful burning sunset which brought the close of the holiday.


View attachment 11420

After what seemed like a very long approach due to the amount of traffic departing and arriving into BHX, we landed and parked up on a stand which once again needed bus transport back Into the terminal, 2 buses which were there as soon as soon as the aircraft doors opened and took only a few mins from when everyone arrived on board and the arrival into the passport gate area, considering a few flights all arrived at the same time ) Thomas Cook, Jet2 etc) there was only around a queue of 30 people waiting and this went down very quickly, It must have only have been around a few minutes and I was through awaiting the arrival of my bags, this itself took around 20-30 mins which I thought was fair enough, We took our bags off the carousel and directed ourselves to walk out of the terminal, we were picked up in car park 1, we exited the barriers and started our journey back to Cardiff thinking to ourselves where did that week go


Once again I to say I'm very impressed with regards to all things BHX, using it again I haven’t had one issue with anything, TUI themselves were fine, on time and clean aircraft , If I was pushed I’d give a slight edge to Jet2 , however I’d certainly use both again from BHX.


Saving myself over £150 per person from flying from Cardiff and ill certainly look to use BHX in the future if I can, two visits and both have been great... until next time

 

[Ray Finkle]

Above this post I've copied the excellent trip report from the airline reviews forum written by CraigW92.

I love the photos

 

[Ray Finkle]

Got to BHX around 16:00 on Friday and with no hold baggage went straight to security. It wasn't what I'd call overly busy but there was a steady flow with queues at each lane, we were through in 5 mins or so which was a huge bonus. The departure lounge was pretty busy but there were a few tables free in Wetherspoons, perfect for a couple of pints of Abbott Ale

Boarding was quick and efficient and using gate 54 meant only a short stroll from the main lounge. The aircraft was 737-800 PH-BXG with every seat taken. FR24 tells us we departed 9 minutes behind schedule but a flight time of 52 minutes meant we landed into Schiphol 14 minutes early. Thankfully we landed on RWY 06 which meant a very short taxi to gate D22. Everything at AMS worked efficiently and it wasn't long before we were on the train towards Centraal.

Coming back this morning there were lengthy queues at the KLM check in desks but we walked past those straight to security and were through in no more than 10 minutes, most of that seemed to be waiting for the bags to go through the machines. After breakfast and a considerable walk to gate D22 boarding was on time and as this flight was also full calls were made for volunteers to put bags in the hold. The flight home was on 737-700 PH-BGL and with RWY 36L being used it was a very long taxi out but with another short flight time of 51 minutes it meant arriving into Birmingham 5 mins early despite departing AMS 14 mins late.

Landing 15 minutes after an Emirates A380 meant that BHX arrivals was very busy with a lengthy queue at the top of the escalator. It was constantly moving though and didn't take too long to get downstairs. As I was on my own (no kids) I used the e gates and was walking out of the baggage hall around 20 minutes later which wasn't too bad. The queue for a manual passport check looked horrendous and very slow moving, I really did feel for those with young children.

I used Arrow Cars for the journey home and was quite impressed, will definitely use them again

Another top notch performance from BHX and really enjoyed flying KLM

 

[Ray Finkle]

Landed at 23:59, bags collected at 00:34, key in my front door at 01:07.

Well done Wamos, Swissport, UKBF, BHX and Arrow Cars