Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Holidays
Birmingham Airport Self Bag Drop
Shoemadlady · 05/04/2022 23:10
Hi All,
Travelling from Birmingham airport soon and after seeing the crazy queues in the media was just after some tips?
I've read that there are self drop bag kiosks? Has anyone used these?
How far before you fly can you drop your bags off using these?
Wondering if I can drop my bags off the night before? Thanks
Cao77 · 06/04/2022 01:04
Following as we are also flying from Birmingham next week. We are flying with Sun express though.
FlossieF · 06/04/2022 09:16
I flew with KLM from Birmingham a couple of weeks ago. It was a 5pm flight on a weekday, and the airport was very quiet.
For my flight, electronic / self-service check in and self-service baggage drop wasn't available. Everyone, even if you only had cabin baggage, had to queue at the check-in desk to get a boarding pass because the check in desk staff checked COVID vaccine passes.
I arrived, as instructed, 3 hours before the flight time, but the check in desk didn't open until 2 hours before, so joined a queue with everyone else on the fully booked flight.
Going through security was no worse than it used to be though. There were only 2 or 3 lanes open, but so few people that I didn't have to wait long. Think I had almost an hour airside before the flight left.
Obviously, don't know how TUI will do things, and it may be a different story at different times and during the Easter break.
SummaLuvin · 06/04/2022 10:24
I flew a few weeks ago, Saturday morning on a 7am flight from BHX. When I arrived at 4am it was very quiet, no issues with queues at all, though I appreciate things do tend to get busier during the day, it was very smooth.
I think the problem with these reports is that it's compounding a problem that doesn't exist in many airports. Manchester was bad and that became well known, so more people started arriving in Manchester 5 hours+ before their flight leading to more crowding, then it became a national news story with those crazy videos, then people started arriving really early in other airports assuming the problem was there too, so now other airports are dealing with overcrowding as they aren't prepared for people to be arriving 5 hours+ early for their flights, so now videos of those airports look like chaos, so more people arrive early! It's like the panic buying cycle again.
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