A major debate has broken out over delays at Birmingham Airport. It comes as many passengers faced long delays yesterday (May 17) as queues formed outside the departure lounge – but others said they had ‘no queues’ and it ‘moved very quickly’ when they arrived.
There have been delays this month as work continues on the construction of a new security hall. Officials say it will be ‘more streamlined’, but there are reports that travelers have missed flights as a result.
Some have dismissed the situation as a ‘joke’. But many others have hit back and said there are no problems at all, despite the huge contrast of opinions.
READ MORE: The beautiful waterfall with a scenic pub lunch just 90 minutes from Coventry
READ MORE: Dog owners rave about affordable treats that are ideal for training and ‘a big hit with picky pets’
The delays have also been caused by the airport’s main escalators being out of use, forcing people to use elevators. Birmingham Airport said passengers will be queuing in “unknown areas” due to ‘ongoing construction work’.
And bosses say the airport is ‘making operational decisions on a daily basis’ to ensure the flow of customers through security. Dozens of travelers have taken to the CoventryLive Facebook page to share their experiences of getting their flights at Birmingham Airport.
One of them described the airport as ‘an absolute joke’. But others strongly disagreed, saying it was ‘the fastest time ever’ and there were ‘no problems’.
Linda Atkinson, who traveled to Dublin on Monday May 9, said: “Arrived at the airport at 6.30am. We went up the escalator and we couldn’t believe the queues – it was disgusting.
‘There were fourteen safety zones and only one was open. What a way to run an airport.
“I thought there would be staff walking the lines to see how bad it was. Let’s hope it’s better organized the next time we go.”
Pete Greenway said: “I stood there for an hour on Tuesday in line at the elevators that would take you to the security scanning area. Another 30 minutes when you get off the elevators. It’s a joke.”
Claire Gamble said: “It’s been a joke for the last 18 months. Twice we’ve traveled from there and had to run for our flight despite getting there 2.5 hours early.”
Karen Leech, who flew on May 1, added: “It was ridiculous. We queued for hours and the express lane wasn’t any faster.”
However, not everyone had problems while traveling. Hannah Brittan said: “Flew last Thursday. No queues.
“I got through security in 5 minutes. Landed back on Wednesday and no queues at border control, suitcase was out in 10 minutes. Overall it was an excellent experience.”
Steven Worwood said: “Went out yesterday. They had the new scanners working in a different area to where security is normally. We still took the quickest route to be safe and got through quite quickly.”
Debra Hewitt said: “We went through the airport last week. It took 45 minutes to get dropped off at the train station and into the departure lounge. Got home late last night.
“Go through passport control, put your suitcases straight in and into a taxi. Anyway, absolutely no problem.”
Wayne Wooton added: “We got through at 3.40am last Friday for a 6 hour flight. We got off the air-rail connection and joined the security queue.
“It took about 20 minutes and that was because my bag had to be checked. No problems at all.”
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said on Friday after passengers were seen queuing outside: “Due to our ongoing construction work to build our new security search area, customers will be queuing in unknown areas.
“With the sunny morning we experienced today, we have made the decision to queue our customers outside to reduce congestion around construction work. While this may seem unusual to our customers, and for this we apologize, we daily operational decisions to ensure the flow of customers through security.”
Have you encountered any problems traveling from Birmingham Airport? Let us know in the comments below.
Receive daily headlines and breaking news by email – it’s FREE