BIRMINGHAM - 6
Does nobody think that the management of the airport, handling agents, fuelers, air traffic (not to mention Emirates) and the like haven't thrashed out plans as to how the airport will handle the larger aircraft, within the confines of the facilities available?
You'd think, to read some of this (NOT, I might add, from posters who lurk more often on the MAN thread) that the sky was going to fall in on Sunday!
There will be mayhem - so best leave the comment to those that actually know the layout, the single escalator access , the tiny arrivals hall and the muppets who offload baggage at a snails pace ?
But hey, maybe they have built a new terminal in the last three weeks.
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Graham O
I am with you all the way on this subject, everything you say I agree with. I work at the airport and use EK.
A couple of years ago our then handling agent recruited staff for the summer and by June half of the new recruits had left.
A couple of years ago our then handling agent recruited staff for the summer and by June half of the new recruits had left.
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As a regular user of BHX I have to agree with Graham O.
On my last two arrivals only half the automatic passport control lanes were open. Not sure if this was due to staffing shortages (the process has to be monitered) or technical issues.
Birmingham just can't cope with several simultaneous normal wide body arrivals/departures, let alone an A380 among them!
On my last two arrivals only half the automatic passport control lanes were open. Not sure if this was due to staffing shortages (the process has to be monitered) or technical issues.
Birmingham just can't cope with several simultaneous normal wide body arrivals/departures, let alone an A380 among them!
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Arrived on EK 041 B777 on January 4th. Our bags took 90 minutes ! Complained to EK and they blamed Customs !
What's more they are a soft target.
We've all got tales of delayed baggage reclaim, if you fly often enough with bags, as I used to, it's an occupational hazard. Another day, your bag might be first on the carousel as you walk up to it.
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Crikey - a lot of hand wringing over this. I'm sure it will be ok after the inevitable teething problems. Manchester has been handling the A380 for years now without drama.
Ah but...I hear you say...Manchester is much bigger and able to cope.
Don't forget Manchester has three terminals and the A380 only flies in to one of them - Terminal 1.
I don't believe Manchester Terminal 1 is that much bigger than BHX.
Have faith.
Ah but...I hear you say...Manchester is much bigger and able to cope.
Don't forget Manchester has three terminals and the A380 only flies in to one of them - Terminal 1.
I don't believe Manchester Terminal 1 is that much bigger than BHX.
Have faith.
No T1 is quite compact really and they had to rebuild the end of pier
B to fit the A380 stand and there currently is 1 remote stand
When the T2 rebuild starts there will be a huge change but
at present I`m not quite sure how the A380 stands will work
and when they will actually be built but there will be more
It is a learning curve which BHX will learn fast and I`m sure there
will a post first schedule visit meeting to look at how operations
went on and how they can be improved
Many of the problems that were first expected did not happen
mainly on the airfield but I expect MAN was in a better position
in handling pax due to the much higher number of large aircraft
handled over the years in the 747 size
B to fit the A380 stand and there currently is 1 remote stand
When the T2 rebuild starts there will be a huge change but
at present I`m not quite sure how the A380 stands will work
and when they will actually be built but there will be more
It is a learning curve which BHX will learn fast and I`m sure there
will a post first schedule visit meeting to look at how operations
went on and how they can be improved
Many of the problems that were first expected did not happen
mainly on the airfield but I expect MAN was in a better position
in handling pax due to the much higher number of large aircraft
handled over the years in the 747 size
Crikey - a lot of hand wringing over this. I'm sure it will be ok after the inevitable teething problems. Manchester has been handling the A380 for years now without drama.
Ah but...I hear you say...Manchester is much bigger and able to cope.
Don't forget Manchester has three terminals and the A380 only flies in to one of them - Terminal 1.
I don't believe Manchester Terminal 1 is that much bigger than BHX.
Have faith.
Ah but...I hear you say...Manchester is much bigger and able to cope.
Don't forget Manchester has three terminals and the A380 only flies in to one of them - Terminal 1.
I don't believe Manchester Terminal 1 is that much bigger than BHX.
Have faith.
Come on Brummies! We're famous for being a miserable, whinging, glass half empty lot and this just perpetuates that stereotype.
As I have said before, and I absolutely agree with chaps1954 sentiments, any problems tomorrow and Monday (of which perhaps the foul weather forecast for Monday may prove to be one!) will be resolved in a timely manner.
Glass is firmly half full on this one - but I fully expect any short comings tomorrow will be well aired here, and undoubtedly picked up by an ignorant media, mangled and regurgitated which will do little to enhance the airport's reputation.
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Good news to see the A380 coming in to Birmingham, but I'd hate to be passenger waiting for my bags afterwards! I've flown into BHX several times with many different airlines, including EK and I ALWAYS have to wait for my baggage, even after queuing for an hour at immigration, where they had 1 immigration officer clearing all of the "non-EU" passport holders from my EK flight, I still waited half an hour for my bags!
On my last flight into LHR, with United, my bags were waiting for me as I arrived at the baggage reclaim!
On my last flight into LHR, with United, my bags were waiting for me as I arrived at the baggage reclaim!
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Someone I know was on the first inbound and he said ....
Departure on A380,A6-EOR on the inaugural service of the type for the route. A high density 600+ seater with several rows of economy at the front of the upper deck.(It was still the Triple when I booked back in August,so when the type was changed I switched seats from 44K below to 30K up top & which is in a 2-4-2 configuration.) A smooth flight of 6h 55m touching down on rwy 15 at 1223.
Vacated at Sierra 1 with a water canon salute whilst taxiing slowly on Echo before parking at the normal stand 54.The new airbridge was tried & tested successfully. I was dreading immigration & baggage claim from past experiencing arriving on a Triple. However,immigration was fast & baggage delivered quickly. I was out of the airport just about an hour after landing,despite being pulled over by customs in the green channel!
Departure on A380,A6-EOR on the inaugural service of the type for the route. A high density 600+ seater with several rows of economy at the front of the upper deck.(It was still the Triple when I booked back in August,so when the type was changed I switched seats from 44K below to 30K up top & which is in a 2-4-2 configuration.) A smooth flight of 6h 55m touching down on rwy 15 at 1223.
Vacated at Sierra 1 with a water canon salute whilst taxiing slowly on Echo before parking at the normal stand 54.The new airbridge was tried & tested successfully. I was dreading immigration & baggage claim from past experiencing arriving on a Triple. However,immigration was fast & baggage delivered quickly. I was out of the airport just about an hour after landing,despite being pulled over by customs in the green channel!
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Summer 2016
Quite incredible first two days of the summer season.
Yesterday saw the A388 on EK40, Iberia Express Madrid and Wizz Sofia. Flybe reintroduced Knock, Newquay and Bordeaux.
Today saw the new KLM Amsterdam rotation at 19.00 making 6 daily in the week the new and what will be the third SAS Copenhagen at 21.00. Flybe added double daily Berlin (Mo. We & Fr) & Hanover (Su-Fr), triple daily Milan and Stuttgart sort of happened in away as it looks as if it ended up with the third one flew BHX-DUS-STR-BHX.
Tomorrow sees Blue Air Bucharest OTP and Ryanair swaps KUN for VNO and increased frequencies on Norwegian Madrid and Barcelona.
Wednesday - Qatar Doha
Friday - Ryanair Madrid and Verona
Also throw into the mix today, 9 diversions: - SAA A343, 2 x BA 744's, BA 772, BA 319 plus three easyjets and a Thomson 73H.
A bit of a rest then until Czech towards the end of April.
Pete
Yesterday saw the A388 on EK40, Iberia Express Madrid and Wizz Sofia. Flybe reintroduced Knock, Newquay and Bordeaux.
Today saw the new KLM Amsterdam rotation at 19.00 making 6 daily in the week the new and what will be the third SAS Copenhagen at 21.00. Flybe added double daily Berlin (Mo. We & Fr) & Hanover (Su-Fr), triple daily Milan and Stuttgart sort of happened in away as it looks as if it ended up with the third one flew BHX-DUS-STR-BHX.
Tomorrow sees Blue Air Bucharest OTP and Ryanair swaps KUN for VNO and increased frequencies on Norwegian Madrid and Barcelona.
Wednesday - Qatar Doha
Friday - Ryanair Madrid and Verona
Also throw into the mix today, 9 diversions: - SAA A343, 2 x BA 744's, BA 772, BA 319 plus three easyjets and a Thomson 73H.
A bit of a rest then until Czech towards the end of April.
Pete
Last edited by OltonPete; 28th Mar 2016 at 21:09. Reason: added info
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EUROWINGS
A question for the BHX experts: Was EWG not supposed to be switching to the Airbus on the DUS route later in the year, or did I dream this? I ask because looking at the seat plan for November it still shows the CRJ-900.