More passenger criticism of queues at Birmingham Airport

Fresh complaints have been made on social media about queues at Birmingham Airport.

It previously said it had “been an operational site for 18 months” and some people reported taking 90 minutes to get through security at the start of the late May bank holiday weekend.

One person took to social media on Thursday to say it was “carnage”, while another claimed the journey there was “an absolute disappointment”.

The airport, which said its new security hall was operational, said a queue was “long and thin in parts” but moved quickly through the terminal.

A woman on X said there were lines to get through security, adding that she went “to baggage claim and we’re being directed back out of the airport to line up to get back in! Carnage”.

One man said it was “absolutely disgraceful how you operate”, while another claimed on the social media platform that the airport had “the longest security queue I’ve ever seen in my 49 years”.

He added that check-in desks had opened two hours before, despite tickets recommending three hours, and advised that if you “book your holiday now, avoid it like the plague”.

But another passenger, Andy from West Bromwich, who had booked the fast track, told the BBC that while the queues outside were “quite” long, “from start to finish it was pretty smooth”.

He added: “We went … through security and it (took) us about 35 minutes.

“The new equipment, the scanners, seem to work very well, so you don’t have to take your liquids and electronics out of your bags.”

Responding to another person on X asking for advice for the day ahead, the airport said it “cannot predict queue times”.

It added “please arrive at the airport in accordance with the airline’s check-in times” – usually two to three hours before the flight – and that it could “confirm this with the airline”.

In a press statement on Thursday, the airport said it had a “usual busy morning” with customers queuing in “unknown areas”.

A spokesman said: “While our new security room is operational, we still have construction work going on at the site and are awaiting regulatory approval to allow liquids up to two liters to be carried in hand luggage.

“This construction work will continue for the foreseeable future as we redevelop the airport as part of our planned and previously announced £300m investment.”