Huge queues outside Birmingham Airport could last ‘for months’ as yet more passengers are seen waiting in the cold after days of chaos
Huge queues outside Birmingham The airport ‘could last for months’ as more passengers have to wait in the cold after days of chaos.
The disruptions started on Thursday when long queues formed due to confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners.
Furious passengers have waited hours to get through security after the airport installed new technology that allows people to travel with liquids of up to two liters in their suitcases.
Now insiders claim queues can last for months and the airport is ‘understaffed’, leaving workers ‘overworked’ and ‘struggling’.
The anonymous employee told me BirminghamLive that passengers regularly complain to him about missed or delayed flights and say the situation is ‘very bad’.
The disruptions began on Thursday when long queues formed due to confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners
Furious passengers have waited hours to get through security after the airport installed new technology that allows people to travel with liquids up to two liters in their suitcases
Frustrated passengers face hours-long queues as they fight their way through airport security
Huge queues have been seen outside the terminal, snaking around the side of the building
The problem apparently stems from staff shortages and the time it has taken to complete the upgrade of the new security hall, with the source adding that the airport should have deployed additional security staff to combat these issues.
How 3D scanners will spell the end for 100ml liquid limits
Under current rules on liquids, flyers are only allowed to take 100ml containers in hand luggage.
This year, however, passengers will be able to carry 330 ml (2 liter) containers through security at certain airports.
Like the scanners used in hospitals, the new CT scanners create high-resolution 3D images, allowing luggage to be precisely checked without having to remove items from it, speeding up the security process.
It means travelers can leave liquids, laptops and electronics in their luggage as they pass through security.
Baggage rules will still vary between different airlines, so passengers are urged to check before traveling.
In response, airport bosses said there is an “ongoing recruitment campaign for security officers” and added that missed or delayed flights are “not necessarily” their fault.
The problems started on Thursday, with long queues as new rules on carrying liquids caused confusion among passengers.
The chaos has not become less than on Friday and during the weekend. People showed up three hours early for their flights, but still waited in long lines at security checkpoints.
Birmingham Airport met a deadline to install new 3D baggage scanners at the start of this month, but officials at the West Midlands hub decided to combine both the old and new rules for carrying liquids ‘until further notice’.
The airport said the previous 100ml limits still apply, but passengers may carry these in their carry-on luggage rather than taking them out to be screened separately in clear bags.
Birmingham Airport said in a statement that in addition to security delays with the new technology, “ongoing construction work on site” contributed to the “usually busy morning” as customers waited in “long and skinny queues”.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: ‘With ongoing construction work and liquid restrictions the airport was naturally busy, as you would expect for a Friday outing.’
‘There are queues every day at peak times, which is normal for any airport. A photo of a queue is subjective, and at that moment, at that moment. We strongly advise customers to follow our advice and only show up within check-in opening hours.
“We had no reports of hypothermia or calls to our medical line to assist passengers. We have fully trained first aiders on site and none of our staff are called to treat anyone.
‘We’re asking customers to check our social channels and website to follow our simple instructions to make traveling through Birmingham Airport easier for everyone.’
MailOnline has contacted Birmingham Airport for further comment.
