Birmingham Airport May bank holiday: Are there delays to get on and off flights?

Travellers have expressed their frustration over waiting times to board and get off planes at Birmingham Airport in recent weeks.

Some social media users complained of long queues at the airport as travellers attempt to get away for the May Day bank holiday weekend on Friday (April 29).

Some have even described the security waiting times and queues as “chaos”, although some other travellers have also praised the airport on Twitter for good organisation.

A spokesman for Birmingham Airport (BHX) said that around 16,500 customers booked to fly out from Birmingham on Friday morning, but that after clearing boarding card gate, wait times for security ranged between 15 minutes and just over half an hour.

The airport has reminded passengers to ensure their baggage meets the security requirements before joining security queues.

One Twitter user said this morning: “Just queue after queue, never seen anything like it.”

Another wrote: “Chaos at security today - queues right through both terminals. Many folk at risk of missing flights. One poor staff member trying to deal with customer frustrations.”

Here are some of the latest tweets about queues at Birmingham Airport this morning (29 April).

Will the airport be busy this bank holiday weekend?

Here are the numbers of customers flying out of BHX this bank holiday weekend:

Friday (29 April) 16,800

Saturday: 12,100

Sunday: 13,100

Monday: 14,900

The aiport said that these volumes are about what they expect for an early May bank holiday, and the airport has issued advice for passengers flying through Birmingham Airport this weekend.

A spokesman said: “Here’s our top tip for customers wanting a swift run through our pre-flight security screening:

“Take two minutes to remove all liquids, pastes, gels and electrical items from your bags before the x-ray scanners.

“Better that two minutes than risk an extra 30 having your bag searched and rescreened - and holding up other customers.”

He added: “We had a busy start today (Friday) with around 16,500 customers booked to fly out.

“Queues were long but managed and moving. We thank customers for their patience and understanding.

“Once people cleared our boarding pass gate, wait times for security ranged from 15 minutes to just over half an hour.

“As always, our message to departing customers is: please arrive at the airport at the time your airline advises, and help us help you keep queues moving by presenting compliant hand luggage - removing all liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items - before the security x-ray scanners.”

When should I arrive at Birmingham Airport and other advice

Generally, check-in for long haul flights (flights between 6-12 hours) will open approximately four hours before departure.

For short haul services (flights between less than 6 hours), desks will normally open at around two to three hours before departure.

Passengers are advised to check with the airline directly if they wish to confirm precise check-in opening times.

Advice on the customer support section of the Birmingham Airport website says passengers ‘must ensure they allow ample time for the check-in, security and boarding process, and keep a close eye on flight information screens throughout the airport for flight updates and boarding times’.

You can find this by checking the individual airline’s website and searching for your route.

You can also speed up the process by checking in online in advance on your airline’s website or on their app.

ome airlines - including Jet2 - are offering twilight bag drop services at Birmingham Airport, so you can drop off check-in luggage the evening before to smooth the process on the day, but not all airlines do this - you need to check on your airline’s website baggage page in advance for details.

Travelling only with carry-on luggage can speed up your passage through airport - as long as your hand baggage complies with your airline’s size policies and you are not carrying any forbidden items such as liquids over 100ml - see the Government website here for an overview of these items.

Make sure your contact details on your airline booking are up to date too, so your airline can try to alert you to any significant changes or known disruption.

To check which terminals your flight departs from and arrives into, visit the Birmingham Airport website, here.

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