Birmingham Airport queues: bank holiday travel chaos - passengers 'felt like cattle' during 'two-hour' wait

Hundreds of passengers were left queueing outside the terminal building, with queues travelling from the front door to lifts inside the terminal building. There were further lengthy queues at security for those hoping to get away for the bank holiday weekend.

NationalWorld’s own travel reporter Isabella Boneham was caught up in the chaos on Sunday, May 26. She said: "There were snaking queues in and outside of the building just to get into lifts. The airport was so hot, no air con and everyone was sweating.

"Once up in the lift to security there were more queues, still no air con and so hot. I heard one person say near me that the airport is a shambles. In total it took us an hour and a half to get through. My friends paid for fast track and went straight through which is an option for people. But it was stiflingly hot in the airport, waiting in huge long queues and we felt like cattle."

Another passenger said on X: “Queues at Birmingham airport at least two hours long. Bring your brollies.”

It comes as thousands of family look to jet away during the school half term holidays in England and Wales. A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “Birmingham Airport has over 221,500 customers travelling out this half term and, as previously predicted, the airport would be busy during this time. 

“Customers are queuing in areas that are unfamiliar to them as we do still have building works going on.  The queue for security has been continually moving and our colleagues are in the terminal assisting passengers in the area.”