Birmingham Airport answers 16 questions about queues, liquids and passenger confusion

As Birmingham Airport continues to go through a major period of change, we put a series of passenger questions to airport bosses as the summer holidays approach. In recent weeks, there have been scenes of “chaos” as hundreds of passengers queue to enter the terminal through construction work, particularly during the morning rush hour.

Queues are winding down by mid-morning, but there has been traveler confusion over the reworked 100ml maximum rule for liquids, compounded by reduced waiting space as the airport pauses in unveiling its “next-generation” security hall. As a result, the airport had some passengers arrive seven hours early for their flight and in some cases with non-compliant liquids such as slime tubs.

BirminghamLive has been live blogging the airport regularly to try and keep our readers up to date. We’ll always depict the situation as it is at the time, whether it’s passengers speeding past in minutes or more hectic scenes.

READ MORE: Birmingham Airport boss’s two-word message to every passenger worried about queues

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Birmingham Airport answers most questions

1) Can you put in queue markers to give an indication of the time taken from different points along the queue like they have in theme parks?

Not. The environment of an airport and the security sensitivities/requirements in place are somewhat different to the likes of Alton Towers. Getting on a plane and the time it takes to make sure everyone will be kept safe is different than getting on a rollercoaster and should rightfully take longer.

2) There was a real-time wait time tracker on the website. Will you bring this back?

The real-time tacker was an estimate of the pending state at that time. When construction work began, this facility was removed. We will review the availability of this feature once the build work has been completed.

3) Why were only five lanes used on Sunday 16 June when the queue was two hours long? Will there be a time when all 7 will be up and running?

The queue was not two hours on Sunday. 75% of our customers who traveled waited less than 20 minutes for security. Even at our very busy peak in the morning, the line was less than 60 minutes to access security. Read our full report on Birmingham Airport’s ban on two-hour queues.

4) Will there be a time when all 7 will be up and running? This question is based on the experience of our reporter Nick Horner, which you can read more about here.

Lane usage is based on passenger demand and throughput. At the time you refer to, three out of four passengers were processed in less than 20 minutes.

5) When is your peak period and what is being done to improve things for the summer?

We see peaks throughout the year based on route offerings, different passenger profiles and demographics. Summer, which we now see extending into October, and winter are our main peaks.

As we recently announced, we have completed our new temporary facility which will see a third party customer service team operating ‘liquid check stations’ within this facility. This will ensure that carry-on bags are compliant with security processing.

6) How many hours do you recommend people arrive before their flight?

The advice for all passengers is the same, whether they have check-in bags or just carry-on bags, show up when the airline advises you. This is usually between three and two hours. However, the details are on all bookings as they are in line with when the airline opens the check-in counter. Passengers who are unduly influenced by media hype arrive at the airport about 5 – 6 hours before their flight. As of June 3, no known passengers have missed their flight due to queuing.

7) Some days seem busier and have less big problems – can you give people an idea of ​​the best days to fly?

In the last 8-10 days I have not had big tails. Since introducing our extra measures to help customers with the liquid rule, this has helped the security flow.

Because an operational airport every day is different, we’ve also added extra measures to ensure our customers understand the 100ml rule before processing through security.

8) Queues seem to build up around 4am and continue for several hours – what is the peak time for flights and therefore the peak time for the security queue?

We see the first planned peak of the day in the early morning. Due to security threats and risk, we will never provide passenger peak details as they could be used maliciously.

What we see is people arriving too early for their flight, especially if they only have carry-on luggage. This impacts the estimated passengers that security is expecting for that period, so the key message is for customers to only turn up when their airline advises. In these cases, we would encourage passengers to listen to their airlines and not the media or social channels.

9) Have you advised people to remove the items from the plastic bag they use when traveling with 100ml items. But people said they were concerned about items spilling. What advice do you have about plastic bags?

The bags are no longer necessary. However, if a passenger wishes to use a plastic or toiletry bag, it does not matter, as long as no liquid exceeds 100ml in any container. Read our full story on the 100ml rule and what can and can’t be taken here.

10) How have queues affected business on the other side of security in the departure lounge?

The “tails” are not consistent and occasionally occurred during limited peak periods. It is wrong to assume that all 45,000 customers traveling through our airport are affected by security queues.

11) Do you have figures on how many people lost flights per day or week in May and June and can you tell us what the figures are?

As of June 3, no known passengers have missed their flights.

12) When will the work on the upstairs security area be finished – do you have an appointment? We reported that land space is being released, but a date has not yet been set.

The main construction works are already completed, which allowed the opening of our new security area on June 1st. However, further work that does not directly affect the security room continues. We have a £300m investment program over the next ten years for development.

13) How many people have non-compliant bottles or other items that violate the 100ml rule?

We see over 1.5 tonnes of liquids, pastes and gels removed from hand luggage every day. Most are drink bottles, but also a large amount of sunscreen. Bottles that look small but actually measure more than 100ml. We need passengers to check and double check so that they clear according to security.

14) What time do you expect people to have to wait to get through security when everything is up and running smoothly? We have 25 minutes in our notes.

Today, passengers were waiting less than 25 minutes. We hope to see further improvements with the new measures we have put in place.

15) Are you able to distribute multiple flights throughout the day?

Most of our carriers are low-cost, meaning they choose to complete multiple rotations in a day. This means their operations have to start early in the day, making the start of the airport schedule a busy time. However, every airline operates differently and operating models differ between long-haul, low-cost and scheduled flights.

There is no need to change our flight schedule and once the new security devices have the temporary 2L restriction lifted they will be able to work as intended.

16) What is your message to any traveler concerned about queues and check-in rules?

“Be prepared” is CEO Nick Barton’s message to every passenger at Birmingham Airport. You can read our full interview with the head of tourism here.