A major UK airport who has been scrambling to deal with an influx of frustrated passengers has made urgent changes.
Holidaymakers flying out of Birmingam Airport were plagued with hours of queuing after a security rule change backfired last week.
The £60m investment to upgrade its security desks with hi-tech scanners, known as Next Generation Security Checkpoints (NGSC), was supposed to make the security process more seamless.
It was meant to allow people to bring more liquids in their hand luggage, preventing the need for them to be placed into clear bags before going under the scanners.
But this new method reportedly made situations worse with some people even missing their flights.
And now extra workers have been installed at the airport to “explain cabin baggage liquid rules to passengers” who are still facing long queues – forcing the government to reverse the rule change before the summer holidays.
An enlarged temporary structure with a number of so-called “liquid check stations” has now opened, the airport said.
“The more we can do together to reduce the number of bags that don’t comply with these rules, the more we can reduce queues at security screening,” added chief executive Nick Barton.
Mr Barton previously spoke of his disappointment that restrictions on carrying liquids of more than 100ml in hand luggage, were temporarily reintroduced by the UK government.
Building work has been under way for more than a year to create a new “simpler and streamlined” security search area.
Escalators are closed for the workers, meaning travellers have to queue to get lifts up to the security area.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “Following the Government ruling effective June 9 the 100ml temporary rule is now enforced across all UK airports. Our new security area was designed, and resourced, to accommodate the increase to two litres being carried in cabin baggage, this currently cannot be operated with the temporary restriction.
“In order to have full compliance to this new directive we have further amended our operating process. We now have ‘liquid check stations’ at all entrances to the terminal where colleagues are directly assisting passengers to ensure liquids containers over 100ml are removed.”
