Security, Immigration & Border Control

[KARFA]

Yes - you are of course completely correct. But, and this is partly down the conspiracy theory angle, its convenient that the one airport struggling/unable to meet the CAA imposed deadline to have them installed was the UK's hub airport, whereas all those who did meet the deadline by hook or by crook - with all of the associated upheavel - effectively having wasted cashflow.

Or to put this another way, if BHX had known that the requirement to have the scanners in by a certain point of time would be relaxed, they might've chosen to spend the money on the security area on something else instead, perhaps the departure lounge extension (this example is conveniently forgetting construction logistics and whether it is practical or not to do such activity).

Note that the decision to delay the requirement to have them in place was made before the rules changed in Europe to retain the current liquids allowance.

I havent heard anything since on whether the allowance will increase - presumably its the subject of much testing and research...

ah, so all the airports who have not completed (LHR, LGW, and MAN primarily) somehow benefit by forcing the DfT to restore the liquid volume restrictions elsewhere (note that there is no change to electronics which still stay in for CT scanners)? and somehow they managed they also managed to involve the whole of the EU in this conspiracy as well?

honestly, stay off the drugs, they aren't doing you any good.

 

[Nibbles]

ah, so all the airports who have not completed (LHR, LGW, and MAN primarily) somehow benefit by forcing the DfT to restore the liquid volume restrictions elsewhere (note that there is no change to electronics which still stay in for CT scanners)? and somehow they managed they also managed to involve the whole of the EU in this conspiracy as well?

I said above that is is a conspiracy theory angle (i.e. take it with a pinch of salt), and one i know full well not to be true, as i also said. In any case, I also said that this was more applicable to DfT's decision to delay the requirement to have the scanners installed, which was before and had nothing to do with the announcement from the European Commission.

DfT had a timetable for scanner installation that the big airports missed (significantly so in some cases). What i am saying is that airports which were proactive in getting new scanners up and running to meet the DfT deadline at considerable expense and disruption (e.g. BHX) have effectively wasted cashflow, where the big airports (with regulated asset bases which ultimately means they dont really have to pay anything) didnt get their act together and ultimately face no consequence. That is what feels like a convenient decision. Why couldnt DfT reprimand LHR (for example) for not achieving the timetable, giving a commercial benefit to BHX, LCY etc. who did so well during delivery. I'm sure a clever lawyer could write a claim against the government for moving the goalposts and exposing the airport to costs which it didnt need to do.

honestly, stay off the drugs, they aren't doing you any good.

Nice bit of civil debate, hey...

 

[KARFA]

Nice bit of civil debate, hey...

because frankly you are sounding unhinged, like some kind of BHX paranoia where everyone is working against you.

i would again point out the factual flaws in your post, but there is no point. you are locked in to your little conspiracy theory and won't be moved - it is almost a quasi religious belief which is impervious to facts or logic. the concern to you should be that a bizarre conspiracy theory you have made up sounds more plausible in your mind than then fact there is a particular technical issue with liquids for the new CT scanners which has caused the re-imposition of volume restrictions for liquids in the UK and EU, and which will be overcome in due course once software updates are tested and rolled out.

 

[Nibbles]

Sigh.

Surely the very fact that i mentioned a 'conspiracy theory' should be clear and obvious enough that its not to be taken seriously, no? I never said it was plausible, and i know exactly why the EC's decision was what it was.

But you've obviously selectively ignored the rest of my post which referred to the DfT decision to delay the required switch on date purely because some airports were not going to meet it. The EC's decision to retain the 100ml limit followed several months after that.

I'd very much like your factual opinion (!) on the main substance of the post, rather than seizing upon one line which you disagree with (and which, as i've said several times now, should not be read as a genuine view).

 

[Ianbutty]

Passed through Brum this morning on my way back to Faro.

Seamless through security? Well not quite, my bag was sided onto the check contents line.

And the culprit? Cadbury's drinking chocolate powder....

Cadbury's one of our greatest brand names, and in Brum's airport... How galling!

I went through Venice and my bag was sidelined because of a snow globe for my son.

These things happen and the security guy and I had a good chuckle.

On the way out the Gatwick security guy and I have an even bigger laugh as the numpty, me, went through the body scanner with my glasses on and me claiming that no, no, no I have nothing metal on me!

Systems only work well when the users are sensible and follow the rules and do act like numpties.

 

[Ashley]

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/latest-news/additional-security-lanes-launched-following-lessons-learnt-from-last-summer/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIyZi9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQ4-U67ag_Uk1SqXvv2QghLplTgGaVnZJB1_ifbP_duYdfWfO5W67pslew_aem_VoNFnua5blQExok0JDkySA

With record passengers expected in the summer, time will tell how much of a difference these new additional lanes will make . I really hope we don't see the same horrendous scenes as last year.

 

[Deleted member 8277]

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/latest-news/additional-security-lanes-launched-following-lessons-learnt-from-last-summer/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIyZi9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQ4-U67ag_Uk1SqXvv2QghLplTgGaVnZJB1_ifbP_duYdfWfO5W67pslew_aem_VoNFnua5blQExok0JDkySA

With record passengers expected in the summer, time will tell how much of a difference these new additional lanes will make . I really hope we don't see the same horrendous scenes as last year.

Hmmmmm. I though they built a state of the art security hall that could handle c18m pax, yet at c13m pax and peak times last summer........ well you know the story. So now they need 2 extra lanes at an additional cost of £5m, no surprise there. I see they are already lining up excuses blaming the passengers again for breaking the liquid rules just like last summer instead of admitting their failings. I have seen bag scanner lines build up when bags are rejected and requires a search with 1 person physically searching the bags, the same scanner line builds up and goes to a snails pace or stops because there is nowhere for the bags to go until the searched ones are cleared. The 100ml rules were well documented last summer when re-introduced yet still there were problems.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Hmmmmm. I though they built a state of the art security hall that could handle c18m pax, yet at c13m pax and peak times last summer........ well you know the story. So now they need 2 extra lanes at an additional cost of £5m, no surprise there. I see they are already lining up excuses blaming the passengers again for breaking the liquid rules just like last summer instead of admitting their failings. I have seen bag scanner lines build up when bags are rejected and requires a search with 1 person physically searching the bags, the same scanner line builds up and goes to a snails pace or stops because there is nowhere for the bags to go until the searched ones are cleared. The 100ml rules were well documented last summer when re-introduced yet still there were problems.

And I see they will be in zone A. More disjointed planning.

 

[Nibbles]

Its not disjointed planning - it was always the plan. There was an access to security there which would've been lost otherwise - instead, these two scanners will suck all of the Jet2 traffic out of the main screening hall before providing access in to duty free. Given how many Jet2 pax go through the terminal, its logical that it'll make a big difference, and avoids the need for everyone to schlep down to the lifts and main security area with all the associated crowd control issues.

Re security itself, if everyone travelled without prohibited items - including liquids over 100ml, whose rules have been in place for c.20 years - there wouldnt be any queues. Alas they dont. The rule change that briefly came in and was then removed again - with no sign yet of a new date - wouldve made it less likely for people to make a mistake, hence reducing the number of rejected bags, hence reducing delays and hence reducing queues.

 

[IanFarquharson]

Its not disjointed planning - it was always the plan. There was an access to security there which would've been lost otherwise - instead, these two scanners will suck all of the Jet2 traffic out of the main screening hall before providing access in to duty free. Given how many Jet2 pax go through the terminal, its logical that it'll make a big difference, and avoids the need for everyone to schlep down to the lifts and main security area with all the associated crowd control issues.

Re security itself, if everyone travelled without prohibited items - including liquids over 100ml, whose rules have been in place for c.20 years - there wouldnt be any queues. Alas they dont. The rule change that briefly came in and was then removed again - with no sign yet of a new date - wouldve made it less likely for people to make a mistake, hence reducing the number of rejected bags, hence reducing delays and hence reducing queues.

But only open in peak periods !

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Its not disjointed planning - it was always the plan. There was an access to security there which would've been lost otherwise - instead, these two scanners will suck all of the Jet2 traffic out of the main screening hall before providing access in to duty free. Given how many Jet2 pax go through the terminal, its logical that it'll make a big difference, and avoids the need for everyone to schlep down to the lifts and main security area with all the associated crowd control issues.

Re security itself, if everyone travelled without prohibited items - including liquids over 100ml, whose rules have been in place for c.20 years - there wouldnt be any queues. Alas they dont. The rule change that briefly came in and was then removed again - with no sign yet of a new date - wouldve made it less likely for people to make a mistake, hence reducing the number of rejected bags, hence reducing delays and hence reducing queues.

Well that's not very coherent planning - pax going through 2 sets of security screening areas depending on how long the queue are.

A coherent plan would be to build a single area which can adequately cope with current demand, let alone 18M!.

I can imagine the chaos in the terminal when someone decides to open up additional screening lanes. Pax already lined up will be racing to get to the front on the newly opened queue.

 

[tompo]

Bucket and spade mediocrity as usual. The image of the airport (to outsiders) never reflects its potential and it currently does not deserve additional prestigious routes. The relative investment of the last 5 decades has been relatively woeful and, from a practical perspective, arriving at BHX from the majority of global destinations is an underwhelming and vastly disappointing experience. The international arrivals hall is the shabbiest and darkest I have encountered (excepting Honiara in the Solomon Isles). In 1984 the brand new site, despite some distant ground limitation, had the potential for exponential traffic growth outstripping other UK airports by far. The Airport Authority, hide bound by Government and local restrictions, sat on its hands and let the opportunity’s drift away to ambitious competitors.The rest is history and wishful thinking will never replace failures of the past.
As an aside, I write this comment from knowledge accrued from my experience within the management team in the year quoted.

 

[Paulsstrange]

I believe it was mentioned in a recent interview with Nick Barton that Baggage , assume hope that means the hall and belts etc will get investment in the bear future, well I totally agree with the above comments it certainly needs it as does passport control where currently 2 escalators sit idol surely the airport will need to sort thus very soon with rusing pax numbers and 4 extra based aircraft this summer alone !

There is work taking place to rear of the terminal adjacent to the railway line whether this will include any extra space for arrivals at ground level im not sure !

 

[Deleted member 8277]

I believe it was mentioned in a recent interview with Nick Barton that Baggage , assume hope that means the hall and belts etc will get investment in the bear future, well I totally agree with the above comments it certainly needs it as does passport control where currently 2 escalators sit idol surely the airport will need to sort thus very soon with rusing pax numbers and 4 extra based aircraft this summer alone !

There is work taking place to rear of the terminal adjacent to the railway line whether this will include any extra space for arrivals at ground level im not sure !

That baggage comment from Barton might be about the new tin hut being built next to the T1 baggage handling facility to extend it . Barton seems to like these cheap looking tin huts at the moment. Maybe they should have gone back to the pre covid plans for the area to get a proper extension and to a give better passenger experience. Seems to be penny pinching expansion at the moment using every last inch of space.

 

[Paulsstrange]

That baggage comment from Barton might be about the new tin hut being built next to the T1 baggage handling facility to extend it . Barton seems to like these cheap looking tin huts at the moment. Maybe they should have gone back to the pre covid plans for the area to get a proper extension and to a give better passenger experience. Seems to be penny pinching expansion at the moment using every last inch of space.

New investors cant come soon enough.

Out if interest will this tin hut add any extra belts for reclaim?

 

[Deleted member 8277]

New investors cant come soon enough.

Out if interest will this tin hut add any extra belts for reclaim?

Nope departure baggage.

 

[Paulsstrange]

So no plans at all to rectify baggage reclaim or passport control as its totally inadequate?

 

[Scania1800]

So no plans at all to rectify baggage reclaim or passport control as its totally inadequate?

Doubt, I don’t think baggage reclaim is that bad though. Passport control could require just a bit more staffing

 

[MB1]

That baggage comment from Barton might be about the new tin hut being built next to the T1 baggage handling facility to extend it . Barton seems to like these cheap looking tin huts at the moment. Maybe they should have gone back to the pre covid plans for the area to get a proper extension and to a give better passenger experience. Seems to be penny pinching expansion at the moment using every last inch of space.

One only has to look at the airport he came from to see his mode of operation (and cheap naff extensions)

His mode of operation is to run things on an absolute shoestring to maximise profit and return to shareholders (and indeed himself)

 

[rollo]

That baggage comment from Barton might be about the new tin hut being built next to the T1 baggage handling facility to extend it . Barton seems to like these cheap looking tin huts at the moment. Maybe they should have gone back to the pre covid plans for the area to get a proper extension and to a give better passenger experience. Seems to be penny pinching expansion at the moment using every last inch of space.

One only has to look at the airport he came from to see his mode of operation (and cheap naff extensions)

His mode of operation is to run things on an absolute shoestring to maximise profit and return to shareholders (and indeed himself)

While I agree with much of the above I think its only fair to point out that Niick Barton was bought in to take BHX down the lo-cost route and thats exactly what he has done therefore forfilling his remit and after all most on here are delighted with the rise of EasyJet and Ryanair at BHX and want more from them.

The consequences of this are what we are seeing now and to be frank at the minute the airport is a bit of a hotchpotch with in my view a inadequate and cramped departure procedure from check in through security and the baggage reclaim/immigration experience not great at times and of course an international airport with 13 million passenger with luggage supposedly building to 18million by 2030 and not a single escalator must be pretty unique!

To be fair when then building work is completed it may be a better experience. Currently BHX have nailed their colours to the lo -cost model but the likes of Cathy, Singapore and others who have been suggested/wished on here probably want better.