Birmingham International Airport Limited, Birmingham

Quite good is Brum airport, they have got it right. Terminal 2 airside is looking a bit shabby now after BA have left, in need of a makeover. Terminal 1 airside has been nicely tarted up, you are surrounded on all sides by retail units though, not very relaxing. Car parks are good, even long stay is within reasonable walking distance.

This airport is located with the heart of england with great links to many other parts of the country. It is one of many in the midlands but I believe to be the one with the best links to the rest of the world It is a fairly small airport but boasts a large number destination. The airport is very well laid out and is eassy to use - quite instinctive to use There arent a large number of places to eat and relax in but it’s adequte. The business lounge facilities are also reasonalble The airport is kept ina very clean state I would recommend this airport to travellers for it’s easy access from most places in england and simlicity of the airpot

I always try and use Birmingham Airport over going down to London. It’s easy to get to, clean, less hectic and has all the shops you need. Why put yourself through the hassle of Heathrow?

Other reviews comment on poor range of international flights. I’d recommend United Emirates. They fly from Birmingham and from Dubai they go pretty much anywhere you’d want to go.

If you are being dropped off, my tip is to get dropped off at Birmingham International railway station. The security measures at the airport means that you have to pay I think to get onto the site. Better to get off at the station, go up the escalator and then take the monorail to the airport. It won’t take more than five minutes. Less stressful and relaxed way to arriving to fly. The station is quieter and though there are wardens, there are dropping off bays.

Well located airport with good facilities, however it only gets two stars because of the parking arrangements.

Previously you could drop off at the terminal for free. Fair enough that you can’t do that due to security but there is no need to charge £1 just to drop off. It would be fine if they charged after giving the first 20 mins free, but to charge for dropping off strikes me as making money from the security situation.

There is a Long Stay car park where you can stay for 60 mins for free, however 60 mins isn’t always enough due to it taking about 10 mins to find a space in the first place, then the bus taking between 12-17 mins to pick you up, then about 10 mins to get to the terminal as it circulates the whole car park. Repeat for the return journey and you’ve hit the 60 min limit easily. This should be 2 hours free at least.

Parking aside, if you’re getting here by train, there’s an amazing (free) 'sky link’ which takes you to the rail station (journey time about 2 mins).

It’s a shame the airport can’t cater to the A380 (yet), but I’d still choose to fly from here over London airports.

As I live conveniently a fifteen minute drive away from Birmingham city centre the airport is within easy reach for me so as you can imagine whenever I fly I try to do so from Birmingham airport. Although Birmingham is in close proximity to a few other airports I always choose to go from Birmingham basically because it is the biggest and in my opinion the nicest one to fly from.

-

How to get there:

To get to Birmingham airport is easy as you can go down the M6 and also the M42 and as you approach the city centre the airport is sign-posted way back so you cannot miss it. You simply have to get into the city centre which can be done from anywhere in the UK and then follow the signs. If you do not drive then no need to panic as again if you can get yourself into the city centre by bus or train then there is a train which regularly goes to the airport and it only takes ten / fifteen minutes.

-

Parking:

There are numerous parking spaces at the airport which can be booked in advance or you can simply park and then pay when you leave. This usually costs around £5 a day when you pre-book so for a weeks stay me and Dave paid £40 as we needed the parking for 8 days for a week’s holiday.

-

Staying Over:

Maybe you are flying out from Birmingham airport but you live miles away and do not fancy traveling down and catching your plane straight away. You always have the option to stay the night in the Novotel at the airport which prices vary but my colleague got a double room for £50 when he stayed there not too long ago.

-

Departures:

Seeing as I was only doing this a matter of weeks ago it is still all quite fresh in my mind. When you are ready to get to your flight then get yourself to the departure terminals. If you are catching the train then it is only a two minute walk away and if you are parking there are extremely regular bus services which take you straight there. Birmingham airport does have two departure terminals but don’t worry if you find yourself in the wrong one as they are right next to each other and it takes two minutes to walk from one to the other.

When you are in departures you will see all of the desks for checking in and also a lot of desks for each airline and also car rentals. We have used these desks before when we have had problems so they are very useful and I have never had any problems. There are plenty of toilets and also a small WHSmith shop so you can get snacks or drinks if needed.

When you have checked in then you can go to the departures lounge which has numerous seats and there are lots of things up there to keep you busy such as arcades, shops and also eating establishments. The whole area is very clean and there are lots of computer screens so you can see when you are to move.

When your flight has been called and you make your way through all of body scanners and hand luggage scanners you come to the main departures lounge which has your duty free shops and others. There are places to get food here and also a pub which does some nice drinks which me and Dave sampled to calm our pre-flight nerves. There are plenty of seats and wherever you sit you should be able to see a screen to show you when you are to go to your gate.

Gates are clearly marked in large letters and directions to each are dotted around. There are also plenty of toilets so you do not have to worry about that as I know I do. The airport tells you in plenty of time to go to your gate and if you miss it the first time then do not worry as they remind you quite a lot.

-

Arrivals:

When you arrive back at Birmingham airport hopefully after having a brilliant holiday then I hate the hassle of getting out of there. With Birmingham it is not too bad as after showing people your passports you are straight into where to collect your luggage and there are huge computer screens telling you where to go. I cannot say how long this will take you as it is always different but there are staff on hand to help in there and also a lot of toilets and machines to get drinks and snacks from.

When you have collected your luggage then it is one way out of the airport and it will lead you directly where all of the bus services are so you can just get to your car in no time at all.

-

Shopping:

If you like to shop while you wait then they have loads of places here. There are WHSmith, Dixons, Accesorize, Sunglass Hut, Shoe shops and a Boots. You can get all you like from here so if you suddenly have a worry that you have forgot some vitals for your holiday then you can get them here.

-

Eating:

My favourite place to eat here is Frankie and Benny’s because I think it looks modern and a bit funky and when we were there the staff were great and looked as if they really liked working there. There is also a place called Pash where you can get breakfast things, a few pubs with pub food and drinks and also a Burger King for those fast food lovers. The Deli sandwich bar is great but a little expensive and also my favourite a Millie’s cookies.

-

Verdict:

I hate flying as I just get creeped out by the whole concept of being that high in the sky. Therefore when I am sitting around waiting at airports my fears come and haunt me and I have a miserable time. This is why I like Birmingham Airport as there are lots of things to do to keep you occupied and also the staff are fantastic and offers you all of the help you may need.

Everything about the airport is organised and I think everything is well managed. I love the fact that you can walk in and everywhere be very clean and the toilets are always spotless which is something I always worry about in public places. You can always find someone to help and everything from getting there and then getting on your plane is put out clearly right in front of you so you shouldn’t really go wrong.

In conclusion I am going to give Birmingham airport five stars. It is a brilliant airport with everything you need easily sign-posted so you always know what you are doing and the entertainment there is good for everybody so if your flight is delayed at least there is plenty to do to keep yourself occupied. I also like it that all of the staff are extremely friendly and helpful and that you can always find somebody around which to me is very reassuring in an airport.

Thanks for reading.

xxx
P.S. This has been posted on other sites but always by me katygriff

Since this place has been renovated I’m impressed. Even at peak hours travelling never takes too long to get through passport control and the staff are friendly and willing to help. Not the biggest selection of shops but then again not the biggest airport. Really easy to get to as well if you don’t drive having it’s own airlink metro from Birmingham International Train Station as well as National Express stopping there.

I have flew once from here and will never again. We paid to stay in the long stay carpark which was easy to find but once we got there we where driving around for 20 minutes looking for somewhere to park with no help from staff. The transfer to the airport was a 15 min wait. Once we got there we had missed our flight because of traffic the staff at BMI were so unhelpfull basically saying we had to pay a stupid amount to fly out in 3 days. We were not given any help and was told if we were not happy to use the internet and book other flights with another airline!

This is one of the easiest Airports to fly from

. The short term car park fills up really quickly in the morning, and whilst there is always space you are likely to be a long way from the terminal if you arrive after 0715 - 0730. The bus connections aren’t bad - about 15 minutes, and I have found check in for internal flights to be a breeze. Queueing for less than 5 minutes allowing time for a coffee / snack before departing

The airport is really well signposted and the bus stops right outside terminal 1 and collects from the same spot. The standard shops are in place such as WH Smiths and Boots, there are a couple of clothes boutique places but best of all is some excellent places for a bite to eat / a coffee or a beer

The airport is just what it needs to be - STRAIGHTFORWARD!

I would recommend. The airport is well located and can be reached from the M6 with good road connections

This airport is just the right size and how an airport should run. If your picking people up though the charges are very high! You can save alot by prebooking long stay parking in advance.
The security and baggage is also a speedy process here which is quite unusual these days especially with the whole T5 thing at Heathrow.

The airport has its own skylink and is very close to the train station and nec.

Birmingham Airport is the perfect size that an airport should be! Split into departures and arrivals, it is easy to find your way around, and offers all of the usual duty-free type shops, restaurants and bars.

There are several hotels nearby, ranging in price and star rating. It is a far distance from Birmingham city centre, and probably nearer Solihull.

My one gripe would be the issue with parking, which is becoming even more confusing at the airport. The short-stay car park became a drop off point, and the long stay car park (quite a walk away) became the short stay. This obviously causes some problems!

It’s great, however, that the airport is a stone’s throw from the NEC and the International train station.

always massive queues in here and staff don’t seem that helpful. Information on the screens is not always correct and often misleading, also struggle to find your way around. It is a clean airport and there are plenty of shops to look around whilst you wait for departure

A well run airport which is very conveniently located for trips to the NEC.
Easy transfers to the Exhibition centre and by rail to the centre of Birmingham.
there is a reasonable selection of food and drink outlets in the departure area .

I’ve used Birmingham airport once but the experience made that portion of my flight so relaxed I’ll avoid ever using Heathrow again if possible. It’s much less stressful, has plenty of space, and the parking’s cheaper.

Obviously being smaller it means there’s not such a large choice of shops and things to look at when you’re waiting but when you’ve got a toddler I’d trade that for a relaxed and easy journey any day.

The beef and ale pie in the Wetherspoons wasn’t bad either!

Birmingham airport is about 25 mins drive outside of redditch, so much more convenient than going down to london. They don’t have virgin flights, which is a down side, but they do for most europe/charter flights for your summer holidays, so we always try to fly from hewre. The parking has gotten stricter and you cannot drive up to the front of the airport, so for dropping off my dad drives us to the train station and then we get the monorail over, which takes you direct into the termninal - much better

I often travel on the trains to get here from London, as often the airfares make it worthwhile here. Although it takes about 3 hours to get here, once I am here it really is much better than the London airports.

From the NEC train station, a rapid transit train takes you to the terminal. Usually you only wait a minute or so, and takes less than a minute journey time. Its quick to get around the airport, they layout is very effective. Security controls are usually very quick too.

The airport has two terminals, one for main carriers, the 2nd for Flybe and Ryanair. Terminal 2 has lots of seating, and a big Weatherspoons in the middle, as well as the usual shopping facilities. There’s numerous places to eat throughout the airport.

Verdict: Better than London airports and a quick to travel through.

Busy airport, quite often long delays to get through security.
Airside has a good variety of shops, but they don’t call flights so keep an eye on the screens to see which gate your flight is boarding from.
Confusingly often 2 flights use gates that are next to each other so watch out you’re not in the wrong queue (like I was earlier today)!
Really good links to NEC and train station.

Not the easiest place to park but very convenient for those living in Birmingham. Flights are very regular, places such as Pakistan have 3 or 4 different flights leaving each week. The terminals are often overcrowded and there is not sufficient seating. The place can be slightly confusing to get around.

I may be biased as it is my local airport, but always beets going to Heathrow and Manchester hands down as a great start to a holiday. Parking is easy and reasonable (even long stay on site), and check in and security has always been an efficient and painless experience. There is a great range of shops and the usual suspects of over priced fast food joints (find the Wetherspoon pub on the mezzanine level of T1 for something a little more reasonable). Where BHX always seems to let itself down is with arrivals, there often seems to be a huge queue at immigration, and on more than one occasion I have waited over an hour at the carousel for my bags to appear leaving the “welcome home” sign appearing more of an ironic statement than a friendly gesture.

Some good things, some bad.
1. A good Wetherspoons, with a reasonable menu, and 3 guest ales. Quite pleasant
2. A 'Games’ arcade, where much of the stuff didn’t work. Doesn’t belong here.
3. Queuing for security took too long, because they didn’t have enough staff on, and those that were were just loafing around
4. On return, too long at baggage reclaim
5. I like the skytrain to the Station though; very efficient.

greta airport but hard to park1 huge carpark with bus links

I think Birmingham Airport is great. It’s small, compact, cosy and easy to navigate your way around. Compared to many of the other airports I’ve flown from it’s the best design for relaxation. They have a good range of shops, but too big for losing yourself in. There are a couple of bars and places to eat and it’s all very simple. You can even have a look around on their website, with the virtual tour they offer. The only downside is that Birmingham still lags behind Liverpool and Cardiff for the range of flights it offers. Other airports seem to have a better range of destinations and more direct flights.