Security, Immigration & Border Control

[Deleted member 8277]

Silly question perhaps but - for those arriving via train and accessing the “new” security area, can you take >100ml liquids?
Or are they keeping the “old”/current rules the same throughout the airport for consistency until 1st June?

Just wondered if anyone who has travelled recently is aware, as I fly on Thursday and it would be fab to take some home favourites through that I can’t find abroad

Yes it is a silly question !!!!

The new rules are supposed to come into effect on the 1st June so current rules apply that have been in effect for years. No where has it been told or advertised that the new rules are in effect and the new security rules have been applied. I'm sure BHX will be boasting when its operational.

You can now see why we get longer queues.

 

[whateverg]

No silly questions! Don't worry about it

 

[Bhx_fifteen]

Yes it is a silly question !!!!

The new rules are supposed to come into effect on the 1st June so current rules apply that have been in effect for years. No where has it been told or advertised that the new rules are in effect and the new security rules have been applied. I'm sure BHX will be boasting when its operational.

You can now see why we get longer queues.

Just gone through the “new” security area and liquids >100ml were allowed. We were told all liquids and electronics to be kept inside.

Not a silly question clearly

 

[Nibbles]

What you are told before attending the airport is stick to the current rules - because you dont know which security area you will be going through. If you go the old route, you'll lose all of your >100ml belongings, and delay everyone with a bag check. If you go the new route .you would, i presume, be effectively using 'from 1st June' rules. But of course you cant choose which security area you go to before you get there.

Of course, once 1st June rolls around, the advice will change to 'bring whatever you like' because you wont be able to use the old kit.

 

[Deleted member 8277]

Just gone through the “new” security area and liquids >100ml were allowed. We were told all liquids and electronics to be kept inside.

Not a silly question clearly

I beg to differ. The BHX web site clearly states:

Liquids - existing air travel rules still apply until the 1st June 2024 at Birmingham Airport​

Despite recent news you may have seen, security restrictions are still in place at Birmingham Airport (BHX) until the 1st June 2024.

When preparing for security please ensure that you remove coats and belts and have all liquids out of your hand luggage and electronic devices out of their protective covers and in a separate tray.

All liquids, pastes and gels need to be under 100ml and in a resealable 20 x 20cm clear plastic bag.

For more information, check out the existing rules here.

Check out our travel tips for what's at Birmingham Airport ahead of your trip!


They are obviously trialling the new rules so are applying them in all or part of the new security but they are not in force yet so they are telling you to follow current rules unless otherwise told.


On another note, witnessed the queues earlier today from the new security back to the lifts literally to the lift doors and a lift arriving where the passengers could not get out of the lift because there was no where to go. Had to push past people to get to the other lifts but they seemed to be held on the ground floor so I took the new stairs down to the ground floor that exit by spar ( yes there are operational stairs now).

 

[Scottie Dog]

I beg to differ. The BHX web site clearly states:

Liquids - existing air travel rules still apply until the 1st June 2024 at Birmingham Airport​

Despite recent news you may have seen, security restrictions are still in place at Birmingham Airport (BHX) until the 1st June 2024.

When preparing for security please ensure that you remove coats and belts and have all liquids out of your hand luggage and electronic devices out of their protective covers and in a separate tray.

All liquids, pastes and gels need to be under 100ml and in a resealable 20 x 20cm clear plastic bag.

For more information, check out the existing rules here.

Check out our travel tips for what's at Birmingham Airport ahead of your trip!


They are obviously trialling the new rules so are applying them in all or part of the new security but they are not in force yet so they are telling you to follow current rules unless otherwise told.


On another note, witnessed the queues earlier today from the new security back to the lifts literally to the lift doors and a lift arriving where the passengers could not get out of the lift because there was no where to go. Had to push past people to get to the other lifts but they seemed to be held on the ground floor so I took the new stairs down to the ground floor that exit by spar ( yes there are operational stairs now).

I'm not a Birmingham traveller, unless I include a visit back on circa 1973 when my then brother-in-law flew me down in a PA-28 out of Manchester. Anyway fast forward to May 2024 and I'm pretty certain, as with post airports, that BHX still apply the 100ml limit as your hand-baggage might still go through the old system.
Please feel free to correct me if necessary.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

How come the Airport don’t show the details of how long security times are?

 

[tompo]

I can’t work that one out. Do you you have any credible theories?

 

[jfy1999]

FWIW, there are third party websites that offer live and historical security wait times. Not sure how accurate they are though.

 

[SolihullSpotter]

How come the Airport don’t show the details of how long security times are?

Often, when there are stories run in local newspapers the airport will respond with the queue time. However, from my experience, BHX management use the statistics that paint them in a better light. Statistics can say whatever you want them too. This is certainly the case with BHX.

For example. I flew out in April. It took me almost 2.5 hours from joining the queue for security to getting out of security the other end. At this point I had to run to my gate which was closing in 5 minutes - Bars and restaurants must be missing out on small fortunes!

A day or two later The Birmingham Mail ran a story with hundreds missing flights and 2 hour queues.

A spokesperson from BHX released a statement basically saying “At no point did the queue for security go over 30 minutes”. I know this to be a lie because I was there. BHX effectively calling passengers with photo evidence liars and that it’s being blown out of proportion.

The statistics BHX are using is where the lie is.

BHX are using statistics from where you scan your boarding card - I also timed from this point. 23 minutes, so half truths in their statements as it is completely omitting the fact it took 2 hours to get to this point queuing for the lifts. Guessing they don’t include the queues before the scanners as “security”.

I completely understand works are being done, which will be for the better. Things happen, staff shortages and machines break. Just be transparent with it? The general public are more inclined to be sympathetic to the truth surely? Burying your head in the sand and telling half truths is what causes customer frustration

 

[rollo]

Often, when there are stories run in local newspapers the airport will respond with the queue time. However, from my experience, BHX management use the statistics that paint them in a better light. Statistics can say whatever you want them too. This is certainly the case with BHX.

For example. I flew out in April. It took me almost 2.5 hours from joining the queue for security to getting out of security the other end. At this point I had to run to my gate which was closing in 5 minutes - Bars and restaurants must be missing out on small fortunes!

A day or two later The Birmingham Mail ran a story with hundreds missing flights and 2 hour queues.

A spokesperson from BHX released a statement basically saying “At no point did the queue for security go over 30 minutes”. I know this to be a lie because I was there. BHX effectively calling passengers with photo evidence liars and that it’s being blown out of proportion.

The statistics BHX are using is where the lie is.

BHX are using statistics from where you scan your boarding card - I also timed from this point. 23 minutes, so half truths in their statements as it is completely omitting the fact it took 2 hours to get to this point queuing for the lifts. Guessing they don’t include the queues before the scanners as “security”.

I completely understand works are being done, which will be for the better. Things happen, staff shortages and machines break. Just be transparent with it? The general public are more inclined to be sympathetic to the truth surely? Burying your head in the sand and telling half truths is what causes customer frustration

It's been pretty obvious for some time that BHX use the security times shown on there departures information as from when boarding cards are scanned.

It's a complete nonsense to put it mildly which I'm sure the airport knows. Once you've checked in you head to security or if checked in online its from when you enter the terminal and from that point to passing through security is the actual time taken including the current shambles at times waiting for lifts because of lack room currently to enter the security area.

I await my 12th of June departures at 06:00 hrs when the new system should be operating with interest or should that be trepidation?

 

[Seasider]

The time taken to get through Security is from when you enter the queue, to clearing it. There is no other way to time it. Quoting the time from when you get your boarding card scanned is erroneous and would really irritate me.

 

[nancledre]

Except that boarding card scan is can be precise, assuming it is time stamped, whereas joining a queue is not precise

 

[hishaq96]

I hate the BHX Website when are they going to update it?

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I hate the BHX Website when are they going to update it?

I assume that you mean the official BHX website. They have a 'contact us' section, so you could tell them what you dislike and what changes you would like to see

 

[Nibbles]

They announced several months ago that they have a brand refresh including a new website. Company in Leeds doing it, iirc.

Re security queuing, i'd make two observations; 1) the newspapers are also in the business of using statistics to sell headlines, so are more likely to use unsympathetic queuing numbers rather than more normal data (noting that the queuing is very different at 6am Monday morning (at every airport in the world!) than it is at, say, midday on a Monday!), and 2) that its hardly in the airports interests for everyone to be stuck in security, where they cant be spending money in duty free/bars/restaurants/shops, all of which brings in significant revenue for the operators and the airport - the airport would much rather have no queue and everyone in the shops, all else being equal.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

I await my 12th of June departures at 06:00 hrs when the new system should be operating with interest or should that be trepidation?

We travel on 19th @ 6:30.
I managed to get Express Lane tickets the other day which were not available earlier.

£5 spent and not needed is far better than 2-3 hours in the queue for security IMO.

 

[rollo]

We travel on 19th @ 6:30.
I managed to get Express Lane tickets the other day which were not available earlier.

£5 spent and not needed is far better than 2-3 hours in the queue for security IMO.

Yep I agree but you have to get to the fast track point first via the lifts which by all accounts is the bottleneck created by the planners who have told us is "it's the new normal "
You can enter the terminal via the monorail which I think short cuts the system to security if your hand luggage only and checked in on line but clearly most people arrive via the ground floor. If too many people cottoned on to the monorail then we would end with another queue at Birmingham International.

As I have said before I want BHX to succeed and hope the system when up and running works fine but just have a feeling the lifts v escalator thing could become a pernament issue.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Yep I agree but you have to get to the fast track point first via the lifts which by all accounts is the bottleneck created by the planners who have told us is "it's the new normal "
You can enter the terminal via the monorail which I think short cuts the system to security if your hand luggage only and checked in on line but clearly most people arrive via the ground floor. If too many people cottoned on to the monorail then we would end with another queue at Birmingham International.

As I have said before I want BHX to succeed and hope the system when up and running works fine but just have a feeling the lifts v escalator thing could become a pernament issue.

I've been told that one of the lifts is dedicated to fasttrack at busy times so fingers-crossed.

With the monorail link and both TUI and Jet2 doing a "day-before bag drop", that is a very serious possibility. I can see queues in the street outside of the station!
That is certainly something I do anyway when only carrying hand baggage.

 

[Deleted member 8277]

I've been told that one of the lifts is dedicated to fasttrack at busy times so fingers-crossed.

With the monorail link and both TUI and Jet2 doing a "day-before bag drop", that is a very serious possibility. I can see queues in the street outside of the station!
That is certainly something I do anyway when only carrying hand baggage.

Incorrect.
There is a fast track lane and rail link lane next to the departures queue for the lifts that uses the same lifts as everyone else. Maybe pretend to be catching the train