Birmingham Airport

❎ Unverified | Have used this airport in the past and experienced the same shortfalls, particularly getting through passport control and luggage collection. Again only three passport control officers on duty while people have long waits. I read that the airport recognise the problem and will employ more passport staff. No sign of that happening. They have spent lots of money on the shopping facilities but neglect passengers travel needs.

✅ Verified Review | The Airport lounges were dirty, the toilets had sinks and dryers inoperative. Costa Coffee does not operate a drink in service, many tables occupied with drinkers who had purchased cartons. The walk from the drop off area to departures offers no cover from the elements. On presenting a lounge key for the lounge I was told no admission unless booked, how do you know how busy it is likely to be? The whole airport does not offer a good departure experience, too rushed, poor facilities for single travellers.

✅ Verified Review | Awful place and needs a management change. Have had the misfortune to use this airport twice, here are a few of the issues, (sadly no positives). 1) Parking is astoundingly expensive £70 for my 2 day business trip. 2) There is a sea of humanity in the terminal - not enough space restaurants and so forth. Think retreat from Moscow 1812. 3) Bags took over an hour to arrive - when I spoke to a member of staff they acknowledge this has been an issue all summer.

✅ Verified Review | A 13.25 arrival from Palma, Majorca on the 18th September was a disaster. First an unacceptable delay getting off the plane and then a slow march up and down the aisles at Passport Control. But, the real cause for my angst, however, was the subsequent 50 minute delay once I was in the baggage re-claim area before the carousel started moving. Totally unacceptable and no passenger information given or even someone to hand to proffer an explanation. Why does this always seem to be the case at Birmingham? I rarely experience such poor service at other UK airports, nor at most other overseas airports. In future I will look to travel from and to Manchester or East Midlands. How dare they refer to Birmingham as an International Airport.

❎ Unverified | We recently flew in from Dubrovnik into Birmingham airport, where once again have trouble finding members of staff. Passport control is manned by very few staff, not happiest of people either, then into baggage claim, where once again we have to wait for our bags. While waiting we used the toilets, which were filthy, smell of urine was terrible, looked like that hadn't been cleaned for a while.

✅ Verified Review | I can certainly confirm the veracity of previous reviews regarding the unacceptable delays at Birmingham Airport when re-entering the Uk from my holiday. I was seated in 1C and after our flight (7525 Corfu) parked up, was in earshot of Thomson cabin staff discussing in a matter of fact manner 'how long it would be tonight' before ground staff arrived with steps. Once inside the terminal I waited over one hour to retrieve my suitcase from a very sluggish and sparsely loaded carousel. As if to rub salt into the suffering passengers wounds, long periods of complete inactivity were inter dispersed by the endless playing on an overhead screen of a Swissport PR video trumpeting having exceeded (some clearly bogus) efficiency target whilst undertaking the patently simple and uncomplicated task of transferring baggage from plane to carousel. Groundstaff are clearly understaffed and unmotivated. The whole rotten set up should be discarded, and replaced with an incentivised system of piece rate working, giving unskilled staff the chance to earn far greater wages.

✅ Verified Review | Arrived back from Funchal on time but we were told to remain seated as there was no one available to drive portable stairs for disembarking aircraft. We were told by cabin crew that this has been a regular feature this summer, due to staff shortages. Things were about to get a whole lot worse, as we joined a very long queue to have our passports checked. We eventually arrived at the top of a staircase, looking down we could see a huge mass of people, snaking their way to either automated or human checkpoints. To add to the shambles not all of the checkpoints were manned and it appeared that those going through the automated points were not all being successful. The general consensus of those in our vicinity was this, no other air terminal has scenes like this. Brussels for instance has travellator to aid passengers a speedy exit to passport control where the checks are done effortlessly. We all agreed that the shambles at Birmingham would prove fruitless in terms of unauthorised entry to the UK, you are looking in the wrong direction. You are busily earning yourself an awful reputation and alienating a weary travelling public. You really need to sort this out .

❎ Unverified | If anyone has the possibility of avoiding Birmingham airport, I would strongly recommend that they exercise the option. We travelled out to Corfu on a Thomson flight on September 7th, the check in took far too long with only 2 desks open, when at least 5 Thomson employees spent their time talking amongst themselves rather than opening more check in desks. The airport has spent large sums of money on their shiny new shops, but after a such a lengthy check in process little time was left for shopping. The outward journey was a dream compared to our return on 14th September. On arrival at Corfu airport check in went OK. We were then informed our flight would be delayed 15 minutes. I checked online, our plane left Birmingham 61 minutes late. It made up time on the outward journey and we left a respectable 25 minutes late. On arrival at Birmingham the pilot couldn't dock the plane due to 'operational difficulties'. We all had to use the steps that eventually arrived. On arrival at the end of the queue to what is laughingly named Border Force the nightmare started. It took around an hour to get through this hurdle only to encounter the next. Baggage arrival hall. Around 10 or 12 cases from our flight quickly arrived, then nothing, the carousel stopped. An announcement that there was an operational problem regarding baggage handling. I along with several passengers enquired at the Swissport desk what was happening. We were told the problem was staff shortages and it had been going on for 6 months. The duty manager was not answering his phone. Eventually our bags arrived 2 hours after leaving the plane. Avoid at all costs.

❎ Unverified | My husband who has a broken ankle had requested assistance from OCS at the end of June to travel BHX-BHX. The security personnel would not let him use Express Security even though he was being pushed in a wheelchair. There is no customer service at all at Security. Other airports will help you if you have assistance. The next week we were travelling as a family of 2 adults, 2 kids and I purchased 4 Express tickets costing 20 pounds as my husband was using crutches. There was no expire service this day, 7th July and we waited in the fast track as long as others in the regular queue. I have emailed since July 8th at least 20 times and no one responds.

✅ Verified Review | Absolute shambles. I am disgusted that people entering the UK have to go through this airport it's a disgrace. We waited hours in the passport control queue and I think it's terrible that they can receive revenue from people paying for a fast track option for passport control. The airport knows which flights and numbers of people are coming in advance so there is no excuse for low numbers of staff. The staff and airport management should be ashamed to treat people like this. We stood for 30 mins in a stairwell waiting to join the queue.