Airlines tell holidaymakers to arrive THREE hours early for flights from Birmingham Airport: Travel chaos continues amid fury over 100ml of liquids in reverse with long queues at security

Airlines have told holidaymakers to show up for their flight three hours early at Birmingham Airport as huge queues continue to cause chaos.

EasyJet passengers have been advised to arrive an hour later than if they were traveling from another UK airport after the disruption began a week ago.

He saw long queues snaking all the way out of the airport amid confusion over a return to 100ml liquid rules.

Angry passengers were this week left waiting outside in the rain as they spent hours going through security.

The government has temporarily re-introduced rules preventing people from traveling with liquids larger than 100ml in hand luggage until further notice.

The airport’s £700,000-a-year boss Nick Barton came under fire this week for blaming the chaos on passengers for failing to comply with baggage rules.

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Airlines today told holidaymakers to show up for their flight three hours early at Birmingham Airport as huge queues continue to cause chaos.

EasyJet passengers were advised to arrive an extra hour before their departure time after the disruptions began a week ago when long queues wound their way outside the airport.

In a post on X/Twitter, responding to a passenger who asked why check-in was interrupted on Sunday, EasyJet said: “We recommend arriving at the airport 3 hours or at least 2 hours before your flight to account for possible delays and to facilitate. check-in.’

The airline insisted the advice was not related to the 100ml liquid limit, The Telegraph reported.

It comes as airports have criticized the government for lax return rules after some airports – including Birmingham – installed new 3D scanners.

It should have meant that the rules were changed on June 1 so that passengers could carry up to two liters of liquids in hand luggage.

But the likes of Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester were allowed to miss the latest deadline for their installation after various logistical challenges.

Some airports that had installed the new technology had already abandoned the 100ml liquid rule.

But last Friday, the Department for Transport (DfT) unexpectedly announced that airports would have to comply again.

Birmingham Airport has already been told to keep it while it awaits regulatory approval to have it installed in its new £60m security control room.

The airport’s £700,000-a-year boss Nick Barton came under fire this week for blaming the chaos on passengers for not following baggage rules

Angry passengers were this week left waiting outside in the rain as they spent hours going through security

Huge queues at Birmingham Airport continue to cause chaos for passengers on Monday morning

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the DfT’s “surprise” announcement was “dropped on us with very little time to react”.

She said this had “created uncertainty for passengers just as airports enter their busiest period”.

“It has also put airport operators in a difficult position, with very limited time to train the additional staff and wider resources this will require and no clear idea of ​​when this issue will be resolved,” she added.

“All airports are investing hundreds of millions of pounds to deliver this huge program of technology upgrades and Government mandated program with equipment and processes to meet their requirements.

“We ask that all passengers bear with us and ensure that liquids are carried in containers of no more than 100ml, until advised otherwise.”

Birmingham Airport managing director Mr Barton appeared to blame the delays on passengers not complying with baggage rules.

“A non-compliant bag with liquids over 100ml can add up to 20 minutes to each passenger’s journey through security,” he said.

Mr Barton said the situation was “not what we planned” and a pre-screening unit would be set up next week to ease queues.

He said there had been “bedding” problems following the opening of the multi-million pound security hall – with passengers forced to wait in queues exiting the terminal to get through security.

Mr Barton told the BBC: “Since opening our new security area and despite being one of the first airports in the UK to comply, we have been restricted in the use of our equipment by several million pounds because of an exceptional regulatory restriction, meaning we had it. to limit liquids to 100 ml.

“Although the 100ml rule is still in place, we constantly have non-compliant bags with liquids over the allowance, which has made our equipment inefficient and resulted in extended waiting times for customers.

“It is now imperative that all customers comply with the national rule to ensure a smoother and simpler transition through the airport.”

On Sunday, insiders claimed queues currently seen at the airport could last for months and the airport is “understaffed”, leaving staff “overworked” and “struggling”.

Long queues outside Birmingham Airport can be seen in a video posted on X on Sunday

Angry passengers waited for hours to get through security after the government temporarily reinstated rules preventing people from traveling with liquids larger than 100ml in hand luggage until further notice.

Huge lines were seen outside the terminal, snaking down the side of the building

Disruption began on Thursday when long queues formed amid confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners

The problem was initially believed to stem from staff shortages and the time it took to complete the new security hall upgrade, with the source adding that the airport would have had to hire additional security staff to combat these issues.

In response, airport bosses said an “ongoing recruitment campaign for security officers” was in place and added that missed or delayed flights were “not necessarily” their fault.

Trouble began on Thursday, with long queues forming as new rules for carrying liquids caused confusion among passengers.

The chaos wasn’t eased like it was on Friday, and over the weekend people showed up three hours early for their flights but still found themselves stuck in long lines at security.

Birmingham Airport said in a statement that in addition to security delays caused by the new technology, “ongoing construction work on site” added to the “usual busy morning” as customers waited in ” long skinny tails’.

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