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Birmingham Airport Prepares for Record-Breaking Summer with 2.5 Million Passengers Expected
Birmingham Airport anticipates a 10% rise in summer passenger numbers, investing in expanded facilities and updated travel guidance to manage its busiest holiday season yet.
The gist
Over 2.5 million passengers expected at Birmingham Airport this summer as upgraded facilities support its busiest season.
Continuing coverage
All Summer Travel →Birmingham Airport is gearing up to accommodate over 2.5 million travelers this summer, marking a 10% increase compared to last year. This surge positions the airport for its busiest year on record, reflecting rising demand from Midlands families and holidaymakers. With the summer break approaching, the airport is focused on managing increased passenger flow efficiently across both international and domestic routes.
Among the most popular international destinations from Birmingham this season are Dublin, Palma, and Alicante. These sun-drenched locations continue to attract significant numbers of travelers seeking leisure and relaxation. The airport also reports a strong domestic market, with Belfast standing out as the top UK city for departures from BHX. Approximately 80,000 passengers are expected to fly to Northern Ireland's capital during the holidays, underscoring the airport's role in maintaining vital domestic and international connectivity for the Midlands.
In response to rising passenger volumes, Birmingham Airport has launched its largest-ever capital investment program. This extensive upgrade includes the expansion of the South immigration and baggage reclaim areas, designed to boost processing capacity and reduce wait times for arriving travelers. The airport aims to enhance the overall passenger experience by smoothing arrivals logistics during the busy season.
Travelers departing from Birmingham will also find improved amenities within the terminal. The departure lounge now features an increased variety of shops and food outlets, offering passengers diverse retail and dining options. Additionally, the airport has introduced a new luxury Aspire lounge, catering to those who prefer a premium experience with extra comfort and services before boarding.
Chris Wilson, Head of Terminal and Capacity Planning at Birmingham Airport, emphasized the airport’s preparations for the busy summer. He pointed to the enthusiasm of many Midlands residents jetting off to popular holiday spots. To help travelers navigate the bustling terminal more easily, Birmingham Airport has published updated guidance on its website, detailing practical advice and new travel rules for a smoother journey.
Among the notable changes is an update to liquid restrictions, now permitting liquids, pastes, and gels in hand luggage up to two liters per container without a limit on the number of containers carried. This relaxation aims to ease security procedures, although passengers are reminded to verify rules at connecting airports as not all have adopted this policy yet. Such updates are part of Birmingham Airport's continuing efforts to streamline security and baggage processes.
The airport also advises passengers to maintain security readiness by keeping all electronic devices such as laptops, phones, tablets, and lithium batteries in their hand luggage. They are encouraged to empty metal water bottles before security and be ready to remove belts and shoes if requested. Passengers with medical devices or implants should notify security personnel for appropriate screening, demonstrating the airport’s focus on inclusive and careful handling of passenger needs.
In terms of baggage, travelers are warned not to pack vapes, e-cigarettes, or lithium-ion batteries in checked luggage, as most airlines permit these only in cabin baggage. The airport’s check-in strategy encourages arrivals aligned with airline opening times, with some carriers like easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, and TUI offering the option to drop bags the day before departure on qualifying flights. This flexibility helps manage terminal congestion by spreading out passenger processing times.
Families benefit from a new border control feature whereby children aged 8 and above with eligible biometric passports can use UK eGates when accompanied by adults, speeding up entry procedures. Birmingham Airport organizes check-in into zones, with Jet2 passengers using Zone A, Emirates in Zone D, and all others across Zones B and C, with staff on hand to assist travelers. The airport maintains a 24/7 digital chat bot named Babs and an FAQ section online to support passengers with timely information.
Frequently asked questions
- Which destinations are the most popular from Birmingham Airport this summer?
- Dublin, Palma, and Alicante are the top international holiday spots for passengers departing Birmingham this summer.
- What facility upgrades has Birmingham Airport made for the busy summer season?
- The airport expanded the South immigration and baggage reclaim areas, added more shops and food outlets, and opened a new luxury Aspire lounge to improve passenger experience.
- What updated rules should travelers be aware of at Birmingham Airport?
- Passengers can now carry liquids, pastes, and gels in containers up to 2 liters in hand luggage with no limit on container number, but must check rules for connecting flights. Electronic devices must stay in hand luggage, vapes and lithium batteries prohibited in checked bags, and children with biometric passports 8+ can use UK eGates with adults.
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Exploring South Tyrol: A Stunning Dolomites Destination with Rich Culture and Cuisine
We recently took a family trip to South Tyrol (Südtirol), in the Dolomites. While I won't be writing a full trip report series about the trip (reviewing flights thoroughly while wrangling two little kids is impossible), I did want to review some of the individual portions of it, and in this short series, would like to focus on our time in South Tyrol, in the Dolomites. This was my first time visiting the region since I was a little kid, and I was so excited to return. In this post I'd like to talk about our time there in general, and then three hotel reviews will follow, of the places we stayed. Long story short, if you love mountain activities (especially in summer), amazing food, and an interesting culture, this is a place you should absolutely put on your list. I already can't wait to return. There are even some cool points hotel options, both belonging to Small Luxury Hotels of the World (via the Hilton Honors partnership), and Design Hotels (affiliated with Marriott Bonvoy). Why we decided to visit South Tyrol for a summer trip As longtime OMAAT readers know, I have a connection to Germany — both of my parents are from Germany ( I have dual citizenship ), and most of my relatives still live there. For that matter, Ford loves languages, and he picked up German at the start of the pandemic, and is fluent at this point. We'd also like our kids to have a connection to the culture, so we try to travel there when we can. Anyway, this summer we had a month-long trip to Europe, starting in Skiathos, Greece, and ending in Sylt, Germany. Between those two places, we had a period of around 11 days. So several weeks back, I posed the question on the blog of whether there are any charming hotels in Germany or Austria that I wasn't thinking of. There's plenty of natural beauty in the southern part of Germany and Austria, and I've enjoyed my time in places like Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, etc. However, I was hoping for something else unique. Several people brought up South Tyrol, and that reminded me that I had visited the region when I was a little kid, but not since. With my memory having been jogged, that immediately became the obvious choice for this trip. For those not familiar, South Tyrol is an autonomous region in northern Italy ( with a fascinating history ), located in the Dolomites. It's also interesting culturally, as it's a mix between feeling like you're in Germany (well, or Austria) and Italy, in terms of the language, food, etc. The easiest way to get there is to fly into Innsbruck (INN), and then it's a roughly two-hour drive. But you can also fly into Munich (MUC), and then it's around a four-hour drive. In our case, we fly into Innsbruck, which I was excited about as an avgeek, as it's a unique airport — I remember always flying into this in Microsoft Flight Simulator, back when I was a kid… good times! We flew Austrian into Innsbruck (INN) South Tyrol is has so much to offer as a destination I'm not going to write a detailed guide about South Tyrol, but instead, I'd like to share my big picture thoughts on this as a summer destination. South Tyrol is made up of all kinds of charming little towns, so there are endless choices as to where to stay, and there's no single best option. We ended up staying at three different hotels (20-60 minutes apart by car), and then made little day trips around the region. On the most basic level, the scenery in South Tyrol is just breathtakingly gorgeous, no matter where you look. It almost doesn't look real. Scenery around South Tyrol Scenery around South Tyrol Scenery around South Tyrol Even beyond the scenery in the region, the towns as such are charming and historic. For example, one of the places we stayed was the town of Castelrotto, and we happened to be there on "Church Day" (Kirchtag), which was fun to watch. Scenery around South Tyrol Scenery around South Tyrol The activities in the area are endless, from hiking, to cable cars, to wineries. It's a great family destination, given the access to the outdoors (all the little towns also have playgrounds), but it's also a great couples destination, given how spa oriented it is. Scenery around South Tyrol Speaking of spas, just about all the hotels in the area place huge emphasis on facilities dedicated to wellbeing, since that's kind of one of the selling points of the region. So while you can use hotels as a base for exploring the region, plenty of people just enjoy the hotel facilities as well. Scenery around South Tyrol The food and wine in South Tyrol were also truly incredible. As you'd expect for a region like this, there's a huge culture around food and wine, and goodness, it didn't disappoint. I love how the food is kind of a hybrid between Italian and Austrian classics, so whether you want a wiener schnitzel, raclette, or a plate of pasta, you won't be disappointed. Honestly, I don't remember ever having so many consecutively excellent meals. Dining in South Tyrol Dining in South Tyrol Oh, also, since this is technically in northern Italy, the coffee quality is next level, which I was delighted by. Coffee in South Tyrol I also thought it was interesting how few American visitors there were. A vast majority of the travelers we encountered were Germans, with Italians probably making up the second largest group. After that, I was surprised that the next biggest groups were from Asia (China, Japan, and Korea), which I wouldn't have necessarily expected. I think on the entire trip we heard maybe five people speaking American English, so that was certainly unusual for Europe in summer! South Tyrol has a good selection of charming hotels South Tyrol has almost no cookie cutter chain hotels, with the exception of the Four Points by Sheraton Bolzano (you don't actually want to stay in Bolzano — it's the industrial capital of the region). However, there are several options affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (allowing you to earn or redeem Hilton Honors points), and with Design Hotels (allowing you to earn or redeem Marriott Bonvoy points). Personally, we stayed at the following three properties: Miramonti Boutique Hotel, Small Luxury Hotels of the World ; this is an incredible property I can't recommend enough, and best of all, we booked it with Hilton Honors points Hotel Schwarzschmied, Marriott Design Hotels ; we enjoyed this hotel and it was the lowest price of the hotels we stayed at, with an amazing view, but it was my least favorite of the three (but it was still great!) Hotel Schgaguler, Marriott Design Hotels ; we loved this hotel as well, despite some of its quirks, and in particular, the half board was really great Miramonti Boutique Hotel, Small Luxury Hotels of the World Hotel Schwarzschmied, Marriott Design Hotels Hotel Schgaguler, Marriott Design Hotels Even beyond the hotels we stayed at, there are many others to choose from. For one, I've heard Forestis Dolomites is absolutely amazing, and more than one person has told me this is their favorite hotel in the world. However, it's very pricey and adults only, so wasn't right for this trip. Beyond the ones we stayed at, the selection of Marriott Design Hotels properties in the region is nothing short of astounding, and each looks charming. Beyond the two we stayed at, there are also the following six options: Villa Arnica is the smaller and more charming sister property of Hotel Schwarzschmied, but it was sold out on the days we were staying, and is also adults only 1477 Reichhalter is another sister property to Hotel Schwarzschmied and Villa Arnica, and it's located in the actual center of the town of Lana, with just eight rooms Parkhotel Mondschein is another property we considered, but which wasn't available for our dates Hotel Greif is a charming-looking hotel located in the city of Bolzano; I don't have any interest in staying here, but it looks better than the Four Points! Arua Private Spa Villas consists of several two-bedroom villas, so it's a great option for families Vigl
American Airlines Faces Flight Attendant Shortages at Dallas Hub Due to Management Groundings
Managers at American Airlines’ biggest hub at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) blocked 1,128 days’ worth of work for flight attendants in a single month, as crew members were grounded while the airline carried out investigations into anonymous complaints, first-time lateness, and stolen crew devices. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents more than 7,000 crew members at DFW , by far American Airlines’ biggest base, now says the carrier’s “increasingly rigid disciplinary process” is having a real effect on punctuality, with flights being delayed because there aren’t enough flight attendants. And while DFW saw the highest number of lost flight attendant work days in June, APFA says a similar situation occurred across the airline’s hub bases that are dotted around the United States. Miami (MIA) lost around 646 flight attendant work days in June, LaGuardia (LGA) lost 484 days, Charlotte (CLT) lost 477, Philadelphia (PHL) lost 420 days, Chicago (ORD) lost 317 days, Phoenix (PHX) lost 221 days, Los Angeles (LAX) lost 201 days, and finally, Washington National (DCA) lost 68 days. In total, nearly 4,000 flight attendants’ work days were lost in June because flight attendants were being pulled off working flights so that they could attend management meetings or were grounded due to ongoing investigations. “No one is arguing against accountability. But somewhere along the way, common sense has been replaced,” an internal memo from APFA said. The union places the blame for this massive increase in lost flight attendant work days on a newly introduced management structure, which APFA describes as “micromanagement.” “Years of disappointing financial performance, recurring operational failures, inexperienced leadership, a lack of support for both passengers and employees, siloed departments, and an unhealthy obsession with disciplining Flight Attendants instead of addressing management’s own shortcomings have brought us to this point,” a second memo from the union slammed. “While the company has the right to manage its employees, we question why nearly every interaction has become an investigation.” When American Airlines’ Vice President of Inflight Bobbi Wells introduced the new management structure, it was described as a way to offer flight attendants, who don’t routinely work with a manager, more support. Instead, APFA says the new management structure is “disrupting our operations and costing the company dearly through unnecessary and excessive paid removals at all bases.” The union says it both accepts and supports the fact that management has the right to investigate and manage flight attendants, but claims the airline has become too focused on discipline. In one case, the union claims a flight attendant was put under investigation after they were the victim of a passenger assault. In another case, several flight attendants had to answer why they followed the airline’s own policies when a passenger made a complaint. The latest dispute comes just months after American Airlines introduced a new system that scores flight attendants against a slew of metrics that the carrier was quietly building over a 12-month period before anyone was even aware the platform, dubbed ‘Me@Work’ was being introduced. For now, at least, the platform is being sold as a way for flight attendants to monitor their own performance and give them insight into how their performance compares to their coworkers. Metrics included in the overall 'Me@Work' score include customer satisfaction, flight delays attributed to flight attendants, a so-called 'operational contribution,' and other data.
Southwest Launches Early Morning Reverse Redeye Flight From Las Vegas to Honolulu
Southwest Airlines is launching what I'd argue is the carrier's most uncomfortable flight to date, though it makes for great aircraft utilization, and I'm sure some customers will gladly book this. Southwest's new 2:45AM flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu Southwest has announced a bunch of new routes for the spring of 2027. The airline specifically calls out how it's "slated to begin its first 'reverse redeye' with a 2:45 a.m. local time departure from Las Vegas to Honolulu." That's right. While eastbound redeye flights are common, this is a westbound redeye. Specifically, this flight will depart Las Vegas (LAS) at 2:45AM, landing in Honolulu at 6:10AM, with a block time of 6hr25min. Keep in mind that up until a couple of years ago, Southwest didn't operate any redeye flights , so to see the airline go from no redeyes to reverse redeyes in such a short period is quite the evolution. Southwest's new Las Vegas to Honolulu reverse redeye In fairness to Southwest, the airline is simply replicating a schedule that's also operated by Hawaiian, as the carrier has a flight that takes off from Las Vegas at 1:55AM and lands in Honolulu at 5:25AM. However, Hawaiian flies a wide body plane with flat beds in first class, and it's also a global carrier, used to operating flights like this. It just "feels" different when you see this route on a one-cabin Southwest 737, rather than a two-cabin A330. Hawaiian Airlines operates a similar reverse redeye This is a very efficient schedule, brutal as it may be For both passengers and crew, this schedule sounds absolutely awful. It's one thing to be on a five hour redeye from the West Coast to the East Coast departing at 9PM. But to only board the flight and depart at 2:45AM, and then to have an even longer flight, only to land so early in the morning, is rough. I also imagine many travelers on this flight will be tourists going to Hawaii, and they probably won't book a hotel for the night before , so they may then end up still being stuck waiting for their room until the afternoon. That's not a very relaxing way to start a vacation! In fairness, this routing is also extremely efficient for passengers looking to maximize their vacation time. Admittedly, I think that for most people, a "regular" early morning flight (around 7AM) that lands around 10AM sounds more pleasant. But the real reason for this route is what brilliant aircraft utilization this is: Presumably the plane would otherwise spend the night on the ground in Las Vegas, so to be able to keep it flying adds to the schedule without needing extra planes; this has been one of Southwest's goals with introducing redeye flights Typically if an airline wants to offer a morning flight from Hawaii to the mainland (which is a popular schedule with travelers, so that they land in the afternoon), the plane would have to overnight in Hawaii, and that involves parking a plane for eight plus hours So to be able to do a direct turn in Honolulu with a painful schedule in one direction and an optimal schedule in the other direction is a nice new option to have This flight is great for aircraft utilization, at least Bottom line While Southwest Airlines has now been flying to Hawaii for several years with all kinds of different flight schedules, the carrier's new reverse redeye from the mainland to Hawaii is a first. The carrier's new Las Vegas to Honolulu flight will depart at 2:45AM, only to land in Honolulu at 6:10AM, with a block time of 6hr25min. While this schedule is brutal for passengers and crew, the aircraft utilization is spectacular, as this plane will be able to turn right around, and operate a well timed morning flight back from Hawaii to the mainland, without having to overnight at the airport. What do you make of Southwest's new reverse redeye? Would you consider flying it?
Wildfire Smoke Forces Instrument-Only Arrivals at Oshkosh Ahead of AirVenture
Wildfire smoke reduced visibility at Wittman Regional Airport on Thursday, limiting the airport to instrument operations and prompting some pilots to delay their arrivals ahead of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh . "Pilots will do their flight planning on to what their minimums are, what they feel comfortable with, and then plan accordingly before making their flight here to AirVenture," EAA communications director Dick Knapinski told WBAY. EAA said it was monitoring whether the smoke would affect attendance and advised visitors to make their own health decisions if the haze continues. AirVenture is scheduled for July 20-26.
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