BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT review : 30 June 2008 : by R Earl-Johnson
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Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
Refreshingly, the long stay parking is very near to the terminal. Check in/Immigration was speedy.
Departure lounge was roomy with lots of shopping/catering choice. Me and my husband both agreed we
would actively look for destinations from this airport again for weekend breaks.
Birmingham Airport by Jenny Powles
24 June 2008 Customer Rating : 
Birmingham Airport is awful for the disabled! My husband requires special assistance when we go on
holiday due to his mobility difficulties. Every time without fail he falls through the cracks at
some point. Birmingham (BHX) is not capable of providing a seamless special assistance service for
the disabled traveller.
Birmingham Airport by Colin Chadwick
5 April 2008 Customer Rating : 
Get ripped off while you're dropped off! What other airports expect their customers to pay for the
privilege of merely arriving at this airport? Avoid these charges by dropping off at Birmingham
International rail station (next door) and taking the shuttle which takes you to the centre of the
airport. Make arrangements to be picked up the same way on return.
Birmingham Airport by Ray Woods
25 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
Check in was a nightmare. It took us over 1 hour to check in. The main reason for the delay was that
at check in if cases were even a tiny amount over weight, they were forcing the mainly elderly
passengers to re-pack from one case to another, sending many to the back of the queue again and
reaping a small fortune in excess luggage charges. The queue grew longer and longer with many
passengers clearly distressed and nobody managing the situation. Eventually I asked for the
supervisor and was pointed to a young man who had his head buried in a check in machine for 45
minutes - showing no proactivity in managing the situation. Generally prices to Malta are higher
from Birmingham than elsewhere. Drop off zone is a rip-off.
Birmingham Airport by Kevin Tunnicliffe
4 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
The airport is clean and efficient. The only downside to the experience is the Servisair Lounge used
by Emirates and others. This is a small lounge and while the carpet has recently been changed the
seats are very worn and tatty with ingrained dirt. They need replacing. The food and beverage
selection is poor and lets both the airport and the airlines down. That said the overall experience
at BHX was excellent. Our bags were on the line within fifteen minutes and we were on our way home
within 30 minutes of landing. All staff pleasant and polite, everything well signposted.
Birmingham Airport by B Smith
25 February 2008 Customer Rating :
Birmingham to Rome, check-in area ok with one coffee shop on the ground floor. As we travelled with
BMI (Baby) dedicated check-in area which meant quick service. Departure lounge was OK, but a little
dull, usual array of shops, tie rack, duty free. Boarded via the lower gate area started ok then
seemed to get bleaker the further we progressed (gate at the very end of the building). All in all a
pretty average experience.
Birmingham Airport by J Taverner
4 February 2008 Customer Rating : 
Again BHX comes up trumps. Bit of a queue for check in for Economy at the Emirates desk, but
straight through for business. Now the extension has been completed the terminal is excellent.
We live six miles from the airport, arrived ex DXB at 1950 and were home by 2045.
Birmingham Airport by G Burrows
17 January 2008 Customer Rating :
Very nice airport, easy to get to by road and rail. My only real complaint is T1 airside lounge,
which has virtually no natural light or contact with the outside world. Its relatively short runway
restricts the use of large aircraft and thus the range of long haul destinations.
Birmingham Airport by G Johnson
13 January 2008 Customer Rating :
Spacious check-in area, fair amount of shops and restaurants, both in and out of the departure
lounge and friendly staff. The only downside: waiting for luggage at Birmingham can be a tedious
process. I flew Emirates to Dubai and then on to Iran. With the increasing amount of long haul
routes available- and I'm told more to come in the future, Birmingham is an airport I am sure to use again.
Birmingham Airport by Warren Rose
9 January 2008 Customer Rating :
I agree with Chris Gent that parking is reasonably priced at BHX, Except the charge for the drop off
zone. That is one area where there should be ten minutes grace before drivers incure charges.
Birmingham Airport by Kevin Tunnicliffe
8 January 2008 Customer Rating :
Clean, efficien and never too crowded. The airport was busy when we flew out but still managed to be
efficient and clean. On return the airport was very quiet. Baggage arrived quickly and we were on
our way home in under forty minutes after disembarking the plane. Just the way it should be. The
only downside is that the Servisair lounge is small and often overcrowded with a limited range of
drink and food options available - it really is the least pleasant part of the BHX experience for
me.
Birmingham Airport by W Warnock
20 December 2007 Customer Rating :
This was my first use of Birmingham airport for many years and I was very impressed. Spacious check-
in, very clean and friendly staff. A good mixture of shops and seating too. The likes of Manchester
and certainly Heathrow could learn a lot by looking at Birmingham. Although not my ideal local
airport as it is a 2 hour drive from home, it is one I would certainly consider again.
Birmingham Airport by Chris Gent
7 December 2007 Customer Rating :
Easy access from the West and Midlands with inexpensive parking. This is an airport which has been
designed with a little thought for the passenger: easy check-in, lots of seating in the departure
area as well as plenty of shops and restaurants, speedy baggage delivery and a security system that
works quite effectively. The only drawback is that the choice of destination does not work for me,
and I mainly have to use LHR or BRS. If I get the chance I use Birmingham - you feel that the
passenger is actually part of the equation here.
Birmingham Airport by Teresa Tyler
1 November 2007 Customer Rating :
I find this a very user-friendly airport. There are adequate shopping facilities, enough seating and
reasonable dining areas. I have had occasion to use both of the business class lounges in Birmingham.
One is reasonable though the range of food and drink is very limited; the other is really poor from
seating to facilities and hardly worthy of being called a business lounge.
Birmingham Airport by John Hollis
13 August 2007 Customer Rating :
A good airport - cheap parking, fast check-in, fast transfer through security, and good transport
links especially by rail. When booking long-haul flights I find now little difference in price
between Birmingham and that other widely-reviled London-based airport that starts with 'H'. For
anyone coming to the UK I would suggest coming to Birmingham if you can, not the airport that starts
with 'H', and you'll find the whole experience much more pleasant. Birmingham as a city is still kind
of a dump, but at least the airport is pretty good.
Birmingham Airport by Lee Murray
23 July 2007 Customer Rating :
BHX-AGP on an early morning flight with Monarch. We checked in online
and had a separate check in desk with noO queue. The facilities were
excellent in departures with plenty of options in terms of drinks and
food. Although early morning the airport seemed to be extremely busy but
seemed to cope very well. The only gripe would be on the return to BHX
the wait we had to entail through immigration. The queue stretched out
of the metal rail area which in turn caused confusion and people queue
jumping! Baggage waiting for us once we 'eventually' got through
immigration so no hassles there. All in all and thumbs up from me. Will
be using again.
Birmingham Airport by Dave Holmes
30 June 2007 Customer Rating :
Used BHX for the first time ever in May, having flown many times before
from Manchester and the London Airports (not convenient living in
Staffordshire), and was quietly impressed. Getting to Birmingham
International station by rail, and then the mono rail airport link was
effortless. Check in (flying with Emirates, and having checked in
online) was a breeze. Enough to see and do to kill a couple of hours
with two kids in tow. Facilities were clean, there were no queues
anywhere, security were quick and efficient.
On the return, there was hardly a wait for luggage and no pushing and
shoving at the carousels.
Birmingham Airport by Rich McDonell
20 March 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
The work is ongoing in departures. Ranging from the mess at security to
the mess at the far end of the departure lounge. the entry area is fine
and duty free is quite nice and open. But because of the work it gets
darker and dingier the further down you get towards where the soft shoe
co, and other were based. Until it is finished the area is quite small
and cramped, not a nice place to be really. People end up congregating
around the new bar and the duty free - just to have a bit of light,
I think my grump is that it is all taking so long - this only a
shopfittng exercise after all. The security area into departure is being
made ready for opening in May and it wont be a moment too soon. Its
awful and slow and very tortuous. Inbound immigration is finished but it
baffles me how / why it is now slower than before, The serpentine queue
to get through can take an age.. There are more people standing watching
the process and at the desk behind than actually looking at passports.
The other Sat am as I walking to my gate they were actually queing out
of the aircraft airbridge exit gate towards the escalators. Overall -
they have a plan and it may be quite good when finished, but so slow.
Birmingham Airport by Glyn Cookson
19 January 2007
Interested to read about long delays in baggage reclaim hall. This has
always been my biggest problem at BHX. Have flown dozens of times from
there and every time there is always a long wait for baggage no matter
what time of day or how many flights arrive together. It's almost as if
the aircraft "drop in unannounced". I still feel that it has the old
Elmdon Aerodrome culture, and tries without much success to drag itself
into 21st century. Have written in many times about the problem but just
get the corporate non committal reply, and nothing changes.
Birmingham by E Alexander
18 January 2007
Probably the easiest stress free airport I've used. Very easy to find
off the motorway - parking relatively cheap and close to the terminal.
Emirates check in area is spacious and check in took no less than 5 min.
Bit of a queue for security but after recent luggage restrictions it was
to be expected and staff had it moving pretty quickly. The new departure
lounge is bright and airy with a huge increase in the shopping available
- food and drink has always been good at BHX. On return immigration was
quick, even though most desks were empty (believe this is down to the
Home Office allocation and not BHX's fault). Baggage already on the belt
when we entered the reclaim hall, and within 15 min and I was leaving
the airport.
Birmingham by Kevin Armstrong
17 December 2006
Been flying through BHX regularly this year with Aer Lingus. Transport
links are superb, including train station that connects to London Euston
and Birmingham New St. Check-in is ok. Shopping is good with lots of
book shops. I've been quite happy when I've eaten at the airport too.
Security can be slow sometimes, but I suppose that's to be expected. The
departure lounge isn't very nice. Everybody is in one massive hall and
then is processed through to another waiting area nearer departure time.
For some reason all flights to Ireland go through the same door, which
is a bit silly. A couple of times I've been stuck in a massive queue
when Aer Lingus and Ryanair are departing close together. Overall
though, BHX gets a thumbs-up from me.
Birmingham by Ian Ford
27 November 2006
Flew through BHX Terminal 1 for the first time in 3 years and was
impressed. Access from Central Birmingham by train is quick, easy and
cheap, check-in was simple, there are lots of bars, shops, and
diversions before and after security to keep you busy while waiting and
it is still quiet enough not to have to queue for take off. Security
took 20 minutes to get through but this is quick by UK airport standards
nowadays!
Birmingham by Steve Ward
16 September 2006
I used this airport recently and was pleasantly surprised. First,
parking is very cheap even though I parked next to the terminal.
Second, although dated in places the interior is generally good.
Shopping is limited but food outlets are plentiful. Walking distances
weren't too long and queues didn't seem excessive (although they may get
worse at peak times). Birmingham has great road and rail connections
too. The only downside is the lack of destinations that don't require a
connection at another European hub.
Birmingham by Rob Bingham
22 August 2006
It is convenient, especially with the skyrail linking it to the west
coast mainline. Although there are a lack of suitable shopping
opportunities, other facilities for eating are great, especially the
newly opened Frankie and Bennys. If only there were was more choice of
long haul flights, there would be less need to connect via European
hubs. The addition of Air India last year offers an interesting
dimension to its route network.
Birmingham by Rich McDonell
21 June 2006
I use the BHX to ALC route extensively and really do think things are
generally improving at the airport. The departure lounge has been
significantly extended and is a real pleasure to wander around, being
uncluttered and fairly well laid out. The "Shakespeare" bar is a
occasionally overcrowded - especially in the summer, but I understand
they are opening a Yates up there now (they were working on it last
month) so there should be plenty of choice. As I used the sheduled desks
of FlyBe, BMI or Monarch, waiting to check in is never to long and now I
use the FlyBe "home" check in service I can go straight to departures if
I only have a carry on flight case. BUT my biggest gripe is on the
return leg in arrivals. The serpenntine route on the new immigration
control is unecessary and the staff that man it are real "jobsworths" -
often surly and arrogant. Worse to come is the baggage collection (if
you have any). I just cant understand why the AVERAGE time for them to
appear is so long. I have been to many airports and waited for cases but
BHX must be the absolute worst. I have waited up to an hour on occasions
and never less than 30 minutes. It is just plain ineptitude or bad
planning. You speak to the ground staff (servisair I think) and they
just shrug their shoulders. I have never had a good reason of anyone at
BHX as to why they delay so much !
Birmingham by Tim Parker
15 May 2006
Always an easy airport to access and use but the Immigration Control -
especially in Terminal 2 (Eurohub) - is dreadful. Staff are inefficient,
surly and often rude. I arrived back from Madrid a week ago, around the
same time as a number of other flights (the whole point of a hub system)
and only TWO passport desks were open. There were seven immigration
staff waiting in the area though - two behind the desks, one pointlessly
herding people and FOUR others standing around doing absolutely nothing.
After I eventually got through, three ambled through to the baggage
claim with me and continued to do nothing at all. My taxes pay for that!
They were sarcastic and rude to my non-EU passport holding travel
partner and at the very least surly to everyone else. When I can find
out where to complain to, I will! What a shame. The rest of the airport
is a model all others should follow. If you can stand being given the
worst welcome possible from immigration staff, use BHX!
Birmingham by Tim Lee
25 March 2006
I use BHX quite a lot, for flights to DUB and long haul services with EK
via DXB. A nice convenient airport with some great staff - but one
gripe. Can someone please sort out the luggage trolleys, which are
without doubt the worst I have ever seen, and can someone please sort
out the surface from the car hire to the terminal? If you are on your
own, with a dismal trolley, the rough surface and loads of kerbs makes
getting from Avis, Hertz et al to the terminal - and back again - a
pain.
Birmingham by Tom Pitchers
26 February 2006
Although not exactly my local airport we always end up using it because
it is so convenient. I prefer terminal 2 as although it has less
facilities than terminal 1 it is less hectic and crowded and you get an
overview of the runway. The airport is currently being developed so
some areas are like a building site. The only criticism I have of this
is that before development started there used to be a Starbucks which
had a view of the runway and a quiet childs play area. When I used
terminal 1 last week they had put in 2 massive shops and moved the
starbucks to a location where all you could see was people coming out of
security and going into the shops, plus the childs play area was gone.
the departure lounge in T1 is now almost completely enclosed at all
sides, which is a shame.
Birmingham by Joe Bunting
7 February 2006
The staff here are helpful and friendly - not overcrowded and small
enough you can get around easily and without confusion. The airport is
easy to get to on the rail link or buses / taxis. There's not much in
the way of shops but there is plenty of choice of things to eat.
Birmingham by Mike Preston
13 January 2006
On the basis of a single experience, an early morning departure from T2,
I can only agree with all the positive statements made by others.
Road access is simple and well signposted off the M42, and the walk from
the rental car dropoff area is manageable but would be better if the
luggage trolleys would go in the same direction as the person pushing
them! The security area was very busy but the queue moved fast and the
personnel are efficient and civil. We didn't have time to make use of
any facilities but it all looked clean and good and I will not hesitate
to use this airport again if appropriate.
Birmingham by Peter Jordan
19 August 2005
I use BHX as a transfer point between Germany and GLA, flying with BA. There is
absolutely no comparison between here and LHR as a place to change planes.
BHX is empty, quick, comfortable, uncrowded and the people are civil. My personal
best one evening when my incoming aircraft was late was 7 minutes seat to seat, and
that includes going through security again. Add to that the size and space in the BA
terraces lounge and it is an absolute winner.
Birmingham
Airport by Nick Wilcock
25
July 2005
It is exactly the same distance (57 miles) from my home in West Oxfordshire to either
LHR or BHX. But the 2 are incomparable; as there are no trains from where I live, the
journey to LHR is along congested motorways, whereas to BHX it is along quiet roads
through the heart of England and one can avoid motorways altogether. It is
impossible to walk from the twice-as-expensive car park at LHR to the terminal area,
whereas at BHX it is a 5 minute walk or a very short bus ride. Check-in is simpler,
but the Business Lounge used for Lufthansa passengers offers very little in the way
of snacks. Not that the Senator lounge at LHR's appalling T2 is much better! But
late night arrivals at BHX often involve a lurching bus ride frm the aircraft, then a
lottery as to whether the terminal doors are open. The ridiculous maze to the surly
passport checkers is infuriating; however, I have always found baggage reclaim to be
fairly quick. It would be convenient to have a car park payment machine in baggage
claim area so that it would be possible to pay whilst waiting for the luggage to
arrive. Overall, despite its limitations, BHX is a far better choice for me than the
misery of LHR. But will the BHX Servisair Business Lounge door ever be repaired?
It's been broken for over 6 months now.
Birmingham
Airport by Jason Greening
15
June 2005
A very good airport all round, but I agree with previous comments on its difficulty in handling
large loads for premium international carriers. Recently took an SAS flight to CPH, at the same gate
(40) that the daily Emirates 777/A330 uses. We (110 of us filling an MD-87) completely packed out
the gate lounge, so I dread to think what trouble the full EK plane must cause.
Immigration was only ever meant for processing scheduled flights in 737-size planes and the odd
bigger charter off-peak. I once arrived just after a full Pakistan 747-300 with 450 pax had
deplaned, many with non-UK passports, and it took a good 55 minutes to get through a very irritable
immigration check. I think they just need to make the airport bigger if they want to really bring in
major long-haul players.
T2 (Eurohub) is very good indeed though - BA effectively run it and it's a quality operation as
you'd expect from them, although even it did get congested when American's 767s used it.
Birmingham
Airport by Matthew Eden
15
March 2005
My home airport, but one I have absolutely no complaints about. The terminals are easily accessible
by road, good parking facilities, the terminals are clean, spacious etc. and have good facilities.
Check in is always hassle free, and customs is a breeze, even when returning on a
Friday night from
a business trip in the week. The gate labelling can be a bit confusing in the Eurohub (now "Terminal
2") the first time you use them, but otherwise, top marks all round.
Birmingham
Airport by Nick Cooper
16
December 2004
I have always found Birmingham International Airport to be an excellent airport with wonderful
facilities. Immigration is always quick and easy for British citizens, and although Baggage Reclaim
does take a while longer than at some other airports, I disagree that it would take an hour from
leaving the plane to leaving the airport; I once managed to leave within 10 minutes. The airport has
excellent signage, is easily accessible and the staff have always been friendly and helpful.
Birmingham
Airport by Matt Roe
28
November 2004
I agree with Lynn below on the rather small immigration facilities. I arrived on a full Emirates
flight and we were queuing up the stairs. The escalator wasn't working either. On this day local
dignitaries were being shown around the airport. They were taken to see our Emirates arrival and to
meet to the crew. I doubt whether seeing 200+ people queuing back towards the a/c was good PR
though. Baggage offload was prompt although it did seem a quiet time of day. The other problem
mentioned by Geoff Mayo below was the EK departure gate. Far too small for the number of passengers
(do BHX have a gate suitable?) with pax crowding out in to the corridor. This may be acceptable for
charter flights but it when flying with an international carrier something more appropriate is
necessary. If BHX wants to become a serious airport for major carriers then some kind of expansion
of the terminal is required. Otherwise a very good airport with excellent transport links.
Birmingham
Airport by Lynne Somerfield
17
September 2004
Flew from BHX to Dubai in August and found the check in area for Emirates a little way from the main
desks but at least there was plenty of space away from the hoards. The shopping area is okay and
the perfume and cosmetic section has lots of choice.
On our return however, things were not good. Two flights arrived at the same time which obviously
overstretched the staff at the immigration desk. We queued from the arm disembarking the plane and
down the stairwell (as the escalator was closed for cleaning!). The queues were horrendously long
and considering BHX is trying to become a popular international airport it really needs to get its
act sorted out on the immigration side.
It is an airport I'd use again but only because I live about 30 minutes away but if I had a choice I
think other airports are much better.
Birmingham
Airport by Patrick Lai
28
January 2004
I believe Birmingham International is one of the best airports in UK,
especially the Sky Rail, which is linking between airport and rail
station. It is suitable for people traveling by railways! Also, it has a
wide choice traveling to Birmingham airport with public transport. The
staffs within the airport are friendly; the process of immigration is
quick, which is much quicker than London Heathrow!! (For overseas
visitors). Moreover, the terminal isn't over crowded for most of the
year and it have a lot of routes to different destination. Those reasons
are I choose Birmingham airport for my flight to and from Hong Kong. I
recommend it is a good airport for traveling if you living in the
Midlands and part of Wales.
Birmingham
Airport by Geoff Mayo
12
November 2003
Good aircraft watching facilities, including a shop. The departure lounge was overflowing (November
time), nowhere to sit. The "last call" was made for my flight an hour before departure, which had
people scurrying to the gate, only to wait half an hour before boarding even began. As it was the
Emirates departure to Dubai, which is supposed to be the largest flight of the day, the gate area
was wedged with little room for other passengers to squeeze past - very poorly managed.
Birmingham
Airport by Nicole Marie
27
October 2003
I flew into Birmingham after a long and trying journey from Australia. I found the immigration staff
friendly and the baggage collection was quick and painless. Exit through customs was very quick as
no staff were on duty. All in all, a pleasant experience.
Birmingham
Airport by Dennis Rolls
20
September 2003
Birmingham scores quite well for me , I have used the Airport several times this year. Transport and access
is good. The terminals are modern and there is a reasonable range of cafes and shops. However, scores on
service are low and do not expect to get your baggage back quickly they are awful at this, probably at
least double the average. Do not arrange for your transport away from the terminal until at least - yes at
least - 1 hour after disembarking the plane. I have complained about this several times and they are polite
in their replies but do nothing!
Birmingham
Airport by Raffik Homsy
11
September 2003
For a regional airport, it offers a lot of destinations.
There is adequate seating and a great place to watch the planes take off (opposite to Burger King).
The smoking section could, however, be bigger.
Flights tend not to be announced until the last minute (my father missed his Lufthansa flight to
Beirut via Frankfurt because the information provided by the overhead information monitors was
incorrect). Parking is good, if somewhat expensive.
Birmingham
Airport by Clive Tyrer
10
June 2003
Birmingham Airport is a delight to fly from, especially compared to London Heathrow. Parking is
close to the terminals, check-in is normally swift whilst passport control and
baggage retrieval are
normally good as well. The only downside are the security staff can be robotic, and departure gates
are not announced until the last minute.
Birmingham
Airport by Arshad Mohammed
3
May 2003
I flew from Birmingham International Airport to Dubai and was very impressed, the airport was
clean and well maintained. The departure lounge area was new and had good facilities.
The Sky Rail giving access from Birmingham International train station was
impressive. Overall, I think the airport is easy to navigate and allows for complete customer
satisfaction.
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