Anyone now when the ROM 747 is due to leave?

I passed through at about 0545 in early March and there was hardly any queue. I suspect you were caught up in the tail end of the 0600 onwards departures which I just managed to miss.

747
 

Tech

Pete

Arrived at BHX 08.30 yesterday morning (Sunday). Was checked in for my TUI flight, through security and having a coffee in Pret a Manger in less than 20 mins. Was gobsmacked as was expecting it to be horrendous. Good job BHX!

…just wait til summer starts in earnest…

Vickers Viscount: I deliberately picked this week for a holiday as it's after the Easter rush and before Jet2 and TUI (and others) start their full on summer schedules in first week of May

I don't intend to see any of the potential chaos, I don't fly anywhere for leisure Jun-Sep, too busy and too damned expensive!

Bit of an odd experience myself yesterday as it now appears that some of the new area is open and there are now two security areas.

Having arrived via the monorail I joined the main queue for security upstairs at the exit of the lifts and from experience I knew this was going to be a hell of a wait so opted to go through security via the 'Jet2 entrance' in the smaller terminal as by 7am most of the bucket and spade flights will have gone through already. This was a massive mistake on my part as the wait times were horrific even just to get in the security area (in excess of an hour) and once I finally got through there were only 4 scanners in operation which explained the delays but at this point I was non the wiser so stuck with it. However I then noticed that nobody was arriving from the opposite end, up the long corridor of doom, as they usually would from the main security entrance and now the existing security area is only servicing the Jet2 entrance and those requiring assistance.

Whilst waiting there was a security announcement for 'Lanes 7 & 8 in Security Area - Old' and then just before the entrance to the duty free slalom there's a new corridor where the passengers from the main terminal were exiting the other security area.

With a bit of hindsight I should have stuck with the main queue and I'd be able to share an entirely different experience here but as it is I do not recommend trying to cheat by using the other entrance as my plan backfired massively :rolleyes:

Not good when things hit UK national news
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cle0x9181neo

It hasn't made the national news. its in the Birmingham and Black Country Regional section!

But Simon Calder is on the case in The Independent.

These days its difficult to be sure just how bad things are as people tend to "take to social media" when there's a problem (for them) but few bother to do likewise when they have enjoyed a good experience.

BHX isn't alone, STN has been mentioned too, and you don't need a long memory to recall the kickings MAN had!

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/new...DI0062Ag%3D%3D

The airport is getting a reputation, as it had the same problems last year.

This year's problems are rooted in as yet unfinished improvements. Most major airports have suffered reputational issues probably stemming from putting profit before customers.

For BHX's sake it is to be hoped that once the work is completed, in time for the main summer period things will improve markedly.

08:30 ! Everything has left by 08:30. If you cant get through airport security easily at that time of day its time to give up. Now if you had said 0530 then I'd be impressed.

Know people love to comment and speak to the media , but a worrying number of people I know are vowing to avoid BHX .
Whilst It probably wont actually happen but bosses should be slightly concerned .
Be interesting if EMA starts to see an increase in numbers.
Would imagine the airlines might start to put the heat on as well

Airlines are not just going to up sticks and move traffic from BHX to EMA because of security queues. The only way that would happen realistically is if BHX reduced their capacity declaration and forced airlines to reduce their schedules, and even that would only be short term.

At the end of the day, airlines are operating in a commercially competitive environment and somebody like Ryanair are not going to sacrifice market share at BHX and allow others like EasyJet and Jet2 to take their capacity.

was thinking more where there is an overlap on certaon leisure routes, rather than uproutiing.
if the same route is available ex EMA then it may be an issue
Hope that BHX will get back on track as soon as possible

Security staff needed at airport plagued by delays

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0340jl4gzno

Technically, they are short at least 100 security staff... Technically, someone has c*$ked up the planning. Will anything change? Not likely.

R Remember the other dide of the coin - those things called Passengers. These 4 pax gave up on BHX around 2018 (endless queues ad the whole place with all the charm of a Shopping mall) land now travel an extra 20 miles each way to get our Jet2 flights. OK not the most salubrious of airports but we have yet to queue in the BHX sense and it has a much more pleasant stmosphere.
Maybe BHX will be happy to lose passengers - it'll keep the queues down.

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Sunday
 

I arrived 04.15 at BHX Sunday and was in the departure lounge by 04.25 with plenty of departures. I had bought a fast track pass weeks before but it wasn't required. I did arrive via the monorail avoiding the lift farce, however passengers without fast track were not taking much longer and an added bonus was that liquids remained in your hand luggage and the new scanners were working but I appreciate it was totally different 24 hours later.

Arrival today was also good but that was at a quiet time.

Ironically one of the better return trips I have ever had but realise if you can't have a smooth arrival at 09.05 on a Wednesday you might as well pack up and go home but all things considered, Sunday was decent.

The lift/staircase issue is pathetic and the airport surely should have been able to do better.

Pete

Traveled put from bhx on 17th April arrived at the airport 6.30 for a 9.30 flight (ls1229) finally cleared security at 8.20 shocking queues and chaotic scenes. Plane was delayed waiting for passengers caught up in the chaos.