Using Birmingham Airport (Questions & Reviews)

[Ray Finkle]

Fantastic photo's mate I really enjoyed them.

Can't wait for phase two

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I love your photo-story, Brum X

However, I think you should have shown the edition of 'Airports of the World' with the title 'Booming Birmingham' on the cover

Cheers mate

Kevin

 

[Brum X]

I love your photo-story, Brum X

However, I think you should have shown the edition of 'Airports of the World' with the title 'Booming Birmingham' on the cover

Cheers mate

Kevin

Cheers mate, ive got more to follow on my return.

Its not so "Booming Birmingham" now though is it.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Cheers mate, ive got more to follow on my return.

Its not so "Booming Birmingham" now though is it.

Thirteen steps forward one step back.

Always look in the bright side of life...

Looking forward to your next instalment.

Kevin

 

[Brum X]

Thirteen steps forward one step back.

Always look in the bright side of life...

Looking forward to your next instalment.

Kevin

You are quite right mate, it was just a big shock after my lovely holiday.
I will post my Gran Canaria pics tomorrow sometime.

 

[Aviador]

Great trip report Brum X.

I've created a new thread for flyer reviews as the BHX forum seems to be missing one.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Looking forward to the remainder.

 

[Brum X]

And BHX is in View, im nearly home.

Its windy when i arrive and the aircraft does a turn around over coventry before lining up on Runway 33 (Airport must of been busy) its quite a bumpy landing.


Baggage reclaim report:

This is what i was waiting for, will it be a nightmare or a breeze ???


I can report folks, it was a Breeze. Really fantastic.

Firstly they were letting our flight use the passport E-Gates and i got the all clear green light, some passengers were panicking as they had not seen this new technology before and as us brits do sometimes, they were flapping, he he he.

I then entered the baggage reclaim area.

My flight carousel was doubled up with the Turkish Airlines from Istanbul but as this flights had arrived some 30 minuites earlier, nearly all there luggage was nearly finished, just a few stragglers. I didnt wait no more than 15 minuites before the baggage on our flight started coming through and within1 more minuite i could see my blue suitcase.

I started to leave this area and walk through customs where i got asked to stop (Yikes). The gentlemen from HMRC asked me where i was travelling from and if i was alone to which i replied. He looked in my duty free bag and asked if he could have my chocolates as they looked nice, i replied NO and chuckled. He then asked me if i had any other duty free or food items, i replied No. He said thats fine, you can get on your way. Thankyou i replied.

From Aircraft to bus Stop outside arrivals area, Max 30 Mins.

Great job BHX and Swissport. Top marks fro me to which i have sent a thankyou message to BHX on there facebook page. They always get lots of stick, but i saw a different level of service which needs to be congratulated.

 

[Brum X]

BHX 8/10 Loss of marks due to no organisation at the Norweigan check in for about half an hour where the que snaked all around the check in area and the fact that i had water dripping on my head from a panel missing from the ceiling. Apart from that, the airport experience was good and my return was fantastic.

LPA 10/10 I have always found this airport to be seamless, both in and out. I dont know what they do but it works, everything is organsied and efficient. This airport carries about the same number of passengers as BHX so there is plenty of improvements that can be made for that airport to get a 10.

Norweigan Air Shuttle 9/10 I had a lovely flight with this airline, my first time with them. Cabin crew are friendly and from overseas, in my instance from Gran Canaria as it was a LPA based aircraft and the cabin interior bright and modern. In Flight service was what you would expect from a low cost airline but it was efficient and no walking back and forward every half hour trying to sell them bloomin scratch cards which really gets on my nerves. Loss of marks simply becouse on my outward flight from BHX, the tv screen at the back of the cabin was out of order which isnt good. But all in all, a great flight to which i have sent Norweigan a thankyou message on there facebook page.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

BHX 8/10 Loss of marks due to no organisation at the Norweigan check in for about half an hour where the que snaked all around the check in area and the fact that i had water dripping on my head from a panel missing from the ceiling. Apart from that, the airport experience was good and my return was fantastic.

LPA 10/10 I have always found this airport to be seamless, both in and out. I dont know what they do but it works, everything is organsied and efficient. This airport carries about the same number of passengers as BHX so there is plenty of improvements that can be made for that airport to get a 10.

Norweigan Air Shuttle 9/10 I had a lovely flight with this airline, my first time with them. Cabin crew are friendly and from overseas, in my instance from Gran Canaria as it was a LPA based aircraft and the cabin interior bright and modern. In Flight service was what you would expect from a low cost airline but it was efficient and no walking back and forward every half hour trying to sell them bloomin scratch cards which really gets on my nerves. Loss of marks simply becouse on my outward flight from BHX, the tv screen at the back of the cabin was out of order which isnt good. But all in all, a great flight to which i have sent Norweigan a thankyou message on there facebook page.

Thanks, Brum X

A good and well balanced review.
I also think that it's great you contacted Norwegian with positive comments. It's all too easy to pick fault, yet we all know how good it feels to be commended for our work. I hope that Norwegian have passed on your comments to the relevant employees.
It would be interesting to read more reviews like this from anyone travelling via BHX.

Regards

Kevin

 

[Ray Finkle]

Many thanks Brum X, a great review and some cracking pictures.

It's good to see Norwegian score highly, I have my first flight with them in a few weeks.

 

[Brum X]

Thanks, Brum X

A good and well balanced review.
I also think that it's great you contacted Norwegian with positive comments. It's all too easy to pick fault, yet we all know how good it feels to be commended for our work. I hope that Norwegian have passed on your comments to the relevant employees.
It would be interesting to read more reviews like this from anyone travelling via BHX.

Regards

Kevin

Dont forget to have a look at my Las Palmas pics on the LPA thread.

 

[JF57]

And BHX is in View, im nearly home.

Its windy when i arrive and the aircraft does a turn around over coventry before lining up on Runway 33 (Airport must of been busy) its quite a bumpy landing.


Baggage reclaim report:

This is what i was waiting for, will it be a nightmare or a breeze ???


I can report folks, it was a Breeze. Really fantastic.

Firstly they were letting our flight use the passport E-Gates and i got the all clear green light, some passengers were panicking as they had not seen this new technology before and as us brits do sometimes, they were flapping, he he he.

I then entered the baggage reclaim area.

My flight carousel was doubled up with the Turkish Airlines from Istanbul but as this flights had arrived some 30 minuites earlier, nearly all there luggage was nearly finished, just a few stragglers. I didnt wait no more than 15 minuites before the baggage on our flight started coming through and within1 more minuite i could see my blue suitcase.

I started to leave this area and walk through customs where i got asked to stop (Yikes). The gentlemen from HMRC asked me where i was travelling from and if i was alone to which i replied. He looked in my duty free bag and asked if he could have my chocolates as they looked nice, i replied NO and chuckled. He then asked me if i had any other duty free or food items, i replied No. He said thats fine, you can get on your way. Thankyou i replied.

From Aircraft to bus Stop outside arrivals area, Max 30 Mins.

Great job BHX and Swissport. Top marks fro me to which i have sent a thankyou message to BHX on there facebook page. They always get lots of stick, but i saw a different level of service which needs to be congratulated.

That seems to be the key if Swissport is the handler the bags are quick if not they are not!

 

[Ray Finkle]

A review of our trip on Norwegian, although not quite as informative as the excellent review from Brum X with all of his great pictures

Part one:

22/10/2016

Birmingham - Departure

We arrived into T1 a little after 06:30 and it was absolutely heaving. Wizz Air were using the Norwegian check in area for their last few pax to Warsaw but within about 10 mins there was quite a queue building for our flight. I don't know if it was planned or whether the accumulating crowd spurred them in to action but two Norwegian staff soon came and opened two check in desks. Check in was quick and efficient and we were on our way upstairs. As we got to the top of the escalator the queue came in to view, snaking back as far as Frankie and Bennys. It was quite disheartening to see the length of the line but when we joined we realised that it was moving quickly and within 10 mins or so we were at the boarding card check point. As we were travelling with two young children we were directed to the manual check line. When the gentleman on duty scanned my pass he looked at me and said "Can I ask why you are here?". A whole host of things ran through my mind in the few seconds between those words and his next remark of "Your ticket has Express Lane Security included". The guy then stepped aside to let us through to the express lane and within 20 seconds we were passing through the scanners

The departure lounge was busy with a good amount of Qatar Airways luggage tags, several families had prams with tags to both Phuket and Bangkok. The World Duty Free store looks great and Mrs Finkle and the kids did their best to make the most of it. There were lots of American accents in there, unsurprisingly buying the 'London' items for sale, "trying to spend those last few pounds" as the guy in front of me remarked. We did our usual routine and headed to Wetherspoons for some breakfast. The staff here really need to be commended as it was absolutely heaving but in my experience they are always very efficient and extremely courteous. Not long after breakfast our flight showed 'gate open' so we made our way round to gate 59, we were in the lounge around 5 mins or so when boarding commenced.

9/10. If I'd known about Express Lane Security it would have been a 10, if I'd had to queue it would have been a 8

Norwegian Air - D8 5007 EI-FHY

Boarding was efficient and we were soon all sat down, the cabin crew were excellent and were 'high fiving' the children as they boarded. One guy in particular was great (I wish I'd took his name), cracking jokes with the little ones. I believe that we pushed back slightly late as there was an extra bag that the ground staff were trying to identify but we arrived into Malaga on time, if not slightly early. We departed on RWY15 and got a great view of the airport as we lifted off, sadly we were in cloud before we'd even cleared the full length of the runway. I'd find it hard to have any criticism of Norwegian, the seats were comfortable with enough leg room, the Boeing Sky Interior is great, the cabin crew were attentive but not in your face as sometimes they can be, there were interesting announcements from the flight deck and there was a decent selection to buy on board. There is also the free wifi which I was interested to try out. Considering the flight was 100% full it worked very well, not super speed but more than adequate. I managed to send a couple of pictures via Whatsapp although one or two did take a couple of attempts.

10/10. Overall very, very impressed.

Norwegian Holidays

After deciding which hotel we were after I had a look around and decided to book a 'package' through Norwegian Holidays, it was roughly the same price so it seemed like less hassle booking it all in one go. When booking through their holidays free seat selection and two 20kg hold bags per person are included (I'm assuming that fast track security is as well because I certainly didn't book it), this made it a better deal than booking separately as we did have bags and would have booked seats in advance. It seems like a decent product though, the one stumbling block they may have in the UK market is the name, when I told Mrs F we were booked with Norwegian Holidays her reply was "I thought that we were going to Spain?"

Malaga - Arrival

Despite departing late and holding for 10 mins or so we arrived at Malaga slightly early, landing from the north on RWY12. After a brief hold on the taxiway we arrived on Stand 27. As we taxied round I noticed a Swiss A321, Alitalia A320 along with 2x Ryanair, an Easyjet, another Norwegian, a couple of Jet2 and one Vueling. The airport itself was very quiet with only our flight in the baggage reclaim area at that time. The wait was probably about 20 mins and thankfully ours were off in the first batch so we were soon on our way.

Part two to follow, if people are still awake

 

[Ray Finkle]

29/10/2016

Malaga - Departure

An early 7am departure meant arriving at the airport at stupid o'clock this morning. The drop off area was pretty busy when we arrived but inside seemed fairly quiet. Norwegian had 7 desks open and although there was quite a queue it moved very quickly and we were there no more than 10 minutes. Security was very efficient with several lines open, there was no real queue so we were through in no time at all. As it was so early most of the outlets were closed so we headed for the only eatery open for a morning croissant. World Duty Free opened not long after and was soon very busy, we bought a few things (it seemed a lot more expensive than the store at Birmingham) and then made our way to Pier B, Gate 15 for boarding (I think this was next to our arrival gate). Boarding seemed efficient with families and the rear rows allowed on first. There were one or two stragglers who seemed to take an age to stow their luggage and had no clue where they were sitting, one woman just kept saying "I'm sat in seat D" having no idea of her row. It must have been very frustrating for the crew when they are trying to get everyone seated for an on time departure but to their credit they remained very pleasant and professional. I didn't check the time but I believe that we pushed back on schedule, it was a decent taxi to the end of RWY13 and we joined the back of the queue (I think we were number three). It wasn't long before we took off and made a left turn giving a nice view of the lights along the coast.

Norwegian Air D8 5006 EI-FHV

Like the outbound flight I can't really find any fault. The aircraft was clean and comfortable and the crew excellent (as mentioned above) and again the wifi worked well. As it was still dark when we departed the cabin lights were left dimmed for 40 minutes or so (there was just the faint blue light from the ceiling) which I think pleased most with it being an early morning departure. As the sun started to rise the cabin lights were changed to give out a beautiful pink glow and probably another 30 or so minutes after that the lights were on full. I think I mentioned the Boeing Sky Interior before but it really is a nice touch. Again the crew were great, especially when dealing with the stragglers and some who didn't react to the instructions to stow the tray table and raise the window blind for landing. If I had one slight complaint it would be that the return leg had no announcements from the flight deck. It may well have been that they just left people to rest but I find it quite interesting to hear about the routing etc. It's only a minor grumble though and probably personal to me. As we entered the UK we routed over the South Coast making a right turn over South Wales then down through the cloud to land 6 minutes early.

10/10. Again I'd struggle to find any fault.

Birmingham Airport - Arrival

We arrived on Stand 59 which was the same one we departed from a week earlier. There was a few words said between one passenger, who was trying to get through quickly as his daughter needed the toilet, and another passenger who didn't seem to take kindly to someone 'pushing in'. Once inside it's a fairly short walk from 59 to UKBF, the queue was pretty small and we were all through in 5 mins or so. The baggage area was fairly busy with the last few pax from the morning Emirates amongst others. Our baggage came through on belt 3 and I'd say we were there no more than 15/20 minutes. We landed at 08:36 and were exiting the building at 09:14 which I think is pretty good. We walked back to the car which was in Car Park 5, preferring to stretch our legs for a while rather than use the bus. I'd parked fairly close to the viewing area and as we were loading the cases into the boot the Norwegian return flight to Malaga taxied past and departed which bought a groan or two from the family

10/10. Can't fault anything and just over 30 mins from aircraft to exiting the terminal is pretty good.

Thanks for reading

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Many thanks, Ray. All in all it seemed an impressive performance by Norwegian.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Many thanks, Ray. All in all it seemed an impressive performance by Norwegian.

Most definitely.

I'm not particularly fussy when it comes to this sort of thing but I definitely enjoyed both flights. Mrs Finkle also agrees.

 

[ethanegcc]

Norwegian seems like a great, modern LCC and one I would love to fly in the future. Great trip reports here by BrumX and Ray!

On a side note, I will be flying on AF's 787-9 between LHR and CDG in February and back on a 319, followed by AA out and back to PHL from MAN so if anybody would appreciate a trip report on those to provide information or simply light reading (!) I would be more than happy to post them on here.

Thanks!

 

[Ray Finkle]

A review of our recent trip to Porto.

Arrived at the Monarch check in just before midday, there was a steady stream of people arriving but things were moving quickly, we were there no more than about 10 mins. Security was very busy but the queue was constantly moving, flights were being called with pax on those being ushered through. The staff were jovial and the guy asking people to be prepared was doing so with a touch of humour. I'd say from joining the queue to entered the departure lounge was around 25 mins, that included extra examination of one of our trays. Given how busy it was I thought that was pretty good.

The departure lounge was absolutely packed and it took a good 15 minutes of circling to find a table but eventually we got one at Wetherspoons. The staff in here work extremely hard and even though every seat was taken the ordering was very efficient. Things eased off a little once the Emirates flight opened but it was still very busy.

Boarding was from a remote stand so we made the descent down to the 60's gates and jumped on the bus (the driver was very heavy footed on the brake almost sending people flying on a couple of occasions) and boarded G-OZBX. The captain made an announcement that we were all boarded and ready to go but despite repeated calls to Swissport they still had not been refuelled (he asked people on the right hand side of the aircraft to look outside and spot the two fuel trucks, then joked that neither was for us ). There were one or two moans from some but this was not the fault of Monarch, more a handling agent stretched to it's limits. Departure should have been ta 14:45 but FR24 tells me that it was actually 15:20. Despite all of that and a 30 mph headwind en route we arrived on stand in Porto at the scheduled time The aircraft load was probably 70% or so and I noticed quite a few Portuguese passport holders. Despite being on numerous A321's over the years this was my first ever flight on an A320 (I see what people mean about the noisy hydraulics), G-OZBX had leather seats and upon sitting down Mrs F remarked that they were not as comfortable as Norwegian, I thought they were fine though. Cabin crew were pleasant enough but I wouldn't say overly attentive (something which is fine by me) and the flight deck kept us all informed of routing, weather etc with several announcements.

Upon arrival in Porto there were several Easyjet and Ryanair, one Transavia, Lufthansa and Air France. There was however a TAAG Angola Airlines 777, I'll add a picture later. Arrivals was smooth and our baggage was already out when we arrived, no more than 20 mins or so from aircraft to taxi. On the way back we were amongst the first to check in, it is then only a few metres to security, which took less than 5 minutes, then downstairs into the departure lounge. Departures is a large area with a glass frontage offering views of the airfield and across the runway to the cargo area. There is an extensive range of shops and eateries with plenty of seating. Be aware of the prices though, I looked at an FC Porto football shirt for my lad, 147 Euros!!! They were 40 Euros in the city. On both journeys through the airport felt very quiet.

Porto Airport is absolutely fantastic, having been redeveloped between 2003 and 2006 it puts many UK airports to shame. There are concrete 'ribs' at the front of the building supporting the road to departures level, huge metal arches extend from these making up the roof. The front is a wall of glass and the ceiling has huge glass skylights which flood the terminal with light. The departure lounge also has a huge glass wall giving great views across the airfield. THIS picture is better than any description I can offer. There is a Metro Station located at the front of the terminal which takes people directly into Porto. The airport is named after former Prime Minister Francisco de Sá Carneiro who, rather ironically, was killed in a plane crash.

The flight back to Birmingham was on A321 G-OZBH. The seats were a different style to those we had outbound and I found them much harder, at the end of the flight Mrs F agreed with me . The inbound flight from BHX arrived around 10 mins late (a strong headwind seemed to be the culprit) but boarding was swift and efficient and we were soon ready to go. Unfortunately the delay meant that we had to wait for push back but once we had the taxi to the runway was no more than a minute or two. The strong inbound headwind turned into an advantage on the return leg and despite departing 30 mins late we arrived bang on time. As it was 22:44 when we departed most people slept making the flight pretty quiet, again the crew were polite enough. I think Monarch does exactly what it says on the tin. I'd estimate the A321 to be 80-85% (the inbound leg looked to have a decent load too) and again there were lots of Portuguese passport holders, this must be encouraging for Monarch as they are nowhere near as well known as Ryanair.

The fairly bumpy arrival into Birmingham was on RWY33 and we parked on stand 42R. It's a decent walk to UKBF from there but I personally don't mind it. There were three arrivals but we were through in 5 minutes or so. The baggage screens indicated carousel 2 but after 5 mins or so there was an announcement that it was actually carousel 5. As this belt also had a Thomas Cook flight from Cyprus it made things a bit tight but my bag came off within a minute or two. As it was approaching 1 am BHX was pretty quiet, just some staff doing their work and the usual people sleeping on any seats they could find. A quick purchase of bread and milk from Spar and we were on our way.

Porto is a wonderful city, if anyone is looking for a Euro break I'd thoroughly recommend it. We had a riverside apartment in the Ribeira district with amazing views along the river. The bank of the river is home to some fabulous restaurants and the food was simply amazing, there is lots of variety but I'd definitely recommend the local fish specialities. The main city itself has lots to see and do, the shopping is good and I'm told that there is a decent nightlife scene (I'm a little past that now). As we were travelling with young children our trip consisted of a Heritage Tram ride along the river to Foz do Douro for a day on the beach, a ride on the funicular railway with a walk across the top of the bridge and the cable car back down the hill. We also did a boat trip along the Douro River.

A stroll across the Dom Luís I Bridge leads to Villa Nova de Gaia, which, as well as more great restaurants, is home to numerous wine tasting houses. Obviously Port is the main attraction but there are also fantastic reds and whites to sample as well as a good amount of Whisky. If wine isn't your thing then a riverside seat with a cold beer and some tapas can't be beaten

Another thing we noticed was just how friendly people were. The driver of the tram let my eldest stand up front with her for the entire journey, the attendant of one of the public conveniences showered the kids with sweets. It's these little things that make a huge difference. We were slightly concerned about eating out in the city centre with young kids but we couldn't have been made to feel more welcome, the waiters in the restaurants reminded me of those you see in Greece.

Porto gets full marks from me in all departments, the only downside is I wish we'd had more time. Obviously we each have our own opinions but for me, as a city break destination, Porto is up there with the best of them. We definitely intend to return.

I doubt anybody has made it this far down the page but on the off chance that someone has, obrigado

 

[Brum X]

That was a great trip report mate, I enjoyed reading all of it.

I had to laugh when you mentioned going to Spar for a loaf of bread and some milk, I do exactly the same when i arrive back into the UK. I bet they make a profit just on the amount of bread and milk they sell, it is so convenient to have that Spar in arrivals. I would be lost without it.