Flybe, the UK’s Number One Domestic Airline, has added another brand new route to its growing summer schedule, this time out of Birmingham International Airport with a new three times a week service to Perpignan that will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday effective for travel 13th July to 31st August.

The announcement further reinforces Flybe’s commitment to bringing convenient, affordable travel to the Midlands. Flights are available for booking now at www.flybe.com with fares from just £49.99 one way including taxes and charges.

BIRMINGHAM TO PERPIGNAN SCHEDULE
July 13th – August 31st, 2010
Tuesday/Friday/Sunday

* Departs Birmingham 0700 arr Perpignan 1015
* Departs Perpignan 1040 arr Birmingham 1205

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer comments: “We’re delighted to be adding this brand new service to the South of France from Birmingham and to be increasing our presence at the airport further. We were happy to step in following the withdrawal of Ryanair on this route and early demand for seats indicate that there is a very clear demand for supporting our new service. Despite the economic challenges of the past 12 months, Flybe has continued to grow and we remain committed to providing the widest, most convenient and affordable range of holiday flights for our passengers.

John Morris, Head of Corporate Affairs for Birmingham Airport said: “This is great news for people wanting to reach picturesque Perpignan, which offers both coastal and mountainous surroundings. Flybe is one of our largest carriers and it‘s great to see its continued commitment to Birmingham Airport and Midlands air travellers.”

Mr Rutter added: “With people already planning this year’s summer holidays in making their travel budgets go even further, it’s advisable to book early to take advantage of the lowest possible fares.”

BIRMINGHAM International Airport is closing its information desk, leading to 25 redundancies.

Passengers’ queries will now be answered by on-floor ‘customer service assistants’ who will patrol the terminals from the end of this month in what airport officials say will improve efficiency.

Four control rooms have also been incorporated into a £1.5 million ‘control centre’ to undertake core functions. Twenty-five people took voluntary redundancy as a result of the restructure.

An airport spokeswoman said: “The airport has reviewed and rationalised its control functions to ensure that, as it moves forward, it continues to run a more efficient operation that can meet the needs of its customers and partners.

“The changes will improve operational efficiency and the customer experience, as well as harmonise certain areas of the business.

“The review includes the creation of a new £1.5 million control centre to undertake the core functions that are currently carried out across four separate locations, and putting more highly visible frontline customer services staff on the floor in the terminals, which reduces the need for a fixed information point.

“All redundancies were voluntary and a number of new positions have been created, giving staff new and rewarding roles within the operations team.”

There will be 18 customer service assistants, who will be on duty depending on seasonal and operational demands.

The separate control room functions, from security to building management, will be undertaken from one facility.

Due to be up and running in March, the new centre will provide the team with an oversight of all systems, allowing them to make key decisions using state-of-the-art equipment.

This week Birmingham Airport revealed plans to merge its two terminals at a cost of £13 million.

It claimed that the changes would make things easier for passengers by speeding up the process of getting them through security and into the departure halls.

Birmignham Mail

The Birmingham Mail is today reporting that PCSO’s currently on duty at Birmingham Airport will soon be replaced with council traffic wardens!! Whilst many will have a low opinion of PCSO’s they do currently have powers to cordon off and stop and search authorised areas under the Terrorism Act 2000, powers council traffic wardens will not have.

Khalid Mahmood, MP for Perry Barr, said any cutback of front-line officers poses a risk to security.

He said: “I am very disappointed by Birmingham Airport’s decision. Although they don’t have a full range of police powers, PCSOs do have powers in relation to the Terrorism Act that traffic wardens don’t. They offer a police presence and are able to provide back-up to police in the event of terrorist or public order incidents. They are able to operate inside as well as outside the airport terminal where traffic wardens can’t. PCSOs will be more vigilant and able to assist police officers.

“Birmingham Airport is always quick in increasing parking charges, it is absolutely unacceptable that it should be cutting back on policing expenses and putting passengers’ safety at risk. Given today’s current climate with threats to security I am absolutely flabbergasted by this. I would like to see what security assessments have been made to come to this decision and I shall be contacting Birmingham Airport direct about this.”

Birmingham Airport said the move was an operational issue and not about cost-cutting. A spokesperson said: “The aviation industry is a complex industry which experiences changes on a continual basis to meet security and market demands. Birmingham Airport made significant changes to its on-site traffic flow and protection infrastructure following the attack on Glasgow Airport in 2007 and these changes have led to the airport requiring a reduction in PCSOs.

“This move does not impact on our response or preparedness but is purely as a result of road infrastructure changes and the desire by the Airport Company to work more effectively.”

The amount spent on airport security at Birmingham remains confidential due to its sensitive nature.

West Midlands Police said the decision to remove PCSOs was a result of changes to airport infrastructure. A spokesman said: “Following changes to road traffic regulations, traffic routing and the protective infrastructure at Birmingham International Airport, responsibility for the enforcement of parking regulations around the airport’s road network will be moved from the police to the local authority. As a result, over the next few months the 12 police community support officers (PCSOs) currently employed at the airport will be replaced with civil enforcement officers, who will carry out traffic enforcement duties.”

Despite police and airport confirming the changes, a spokesman for Solihull Metropolitan Council, which will be responsible for enforcement, said nothing had been officially approved. He said: “There has been an informal approach about the possibility of the council taking over parking enforcement on certain roads around the airport. This has gone no further than informal discussions, nothing has been agreed, and would need formal approval, including from the Department for Transport, before this could go forward.”

With the UK being gripped by severe wintery conditions the team at Birmingham Airport have been working around the clock to ensure the Airport is prepared as possible for any further bad weather.

There are delays to flights caused by overnight snow and the time to clear the runway so check with your airline however the airport has remained open throughout the snowy period.

Birmingham Airport is open and operating as normal.

Fast updates on the current status of the flights and snow can be obtained from the BHX Official Twitter page.

Enjoy your sunny getaway for all who are looking to fly out of Birmingham Airport over the coming days!

We are all aware of increased security at all airports flying to the United States, however, the Express and Star is today reporting on a £10m plan for an overhaul of Birmingham Airports Terminal 1 & 2 areas.

The plan will involve creating a single security checkpoint located on the first floor between Terminals 1 & 2 at Birmingham Airport and may include the much publicized full body security scanners.

Paul Kehoe, chief executive of Birmingham International Airport said: “Going through security is pretty grim at either terminal.

“We want to have a new centralised area, although as to the question of whether there will be new body scanners introduced, this is something that will come from Government.”

“We also have a new Emirates business lounge opening in February and will be introducing new shops and an onward travel centre.

“Improving passenger experience will be our main goal for 2010.”

In light of this Birmingham Airport last year laid off 80 ground staff due to the troubling times bought on by the recession, even in wake of its targets to double passenger numbers from 9 million to 18 million a year by 2020

He said: “The overall position doesn’t make for happy reading. There are significant challenges ahead.

“The key fact for us at Birmingham Airport is that if the West Midlands economy sneezes we catch a cold. Our fortunes are linked to theirs.”

Mr Kehoe added the future of the economy of the West Midlands rests on extension plans.

He said: “The region needs this extension, but the company can’t fund the West Midlands.”

PASSENGERS flying to the USA from Birmingham International Airport have been warned to arrive four hours before departure due to heightened security.

Continental Airlines, which operates a daily flight to New York, said security had been stepped up in the wake of the failed Detroit airliner bomb plot.

It means those travelling on the eight-hour journey should arrive with plenty of time to pass through the strict security checks.

Security officials in the USA announced extra precautions were being introduced following the failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day which saw a former London student allegedly attempt to ignite a device on board.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla was travelling on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253, from Amsterdam to Detroit, when passengers intervened as he attempted to set off the device.

On Sunday, he was released from hospital into the custody of US marshals at an undisclosed location.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard detectives continued to search the 23-year-old former student’s luxury apartment in a central London mansion block as it emerged he had links with al Qaida. Passengers travelling from London to the US were faced with lengthy delays yesterday. People flying across the Atlantic were advised to arrive early and carry just one piece of hand luggage.

One flight from London’s Heathrow to New York’s Newark airport was late leaving by more than three hours, although most delays were less severe.

A customer service representative from Continental Airlines confirmed security has been increased on the Birmingham flight which departs at 9am each day.

He said: “Passengers must arrive at the airport four hours before their flight. There is an increase in the amount of security officials.

“Passengers are allowed one carrier, (weighing) no more than 18 kilos and one personal item like a handbag or laptop bag.”

The normal recommended time to arrive at the airport before a flight is two hours, with the last check-in usually around one hour before departure.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham International Airport said it was operating as usual but confirmed that security remained high. “Security has been heightened for a number of years and that remains the same now, although certain airlines have different layers of security.”

Birmingham Post

Birmingham Airport have announced their passenger figures for November.

During November, Birmingham International Airport handled 567,524 travellers through its two terminals, including 486,570 scheduled passengers and 80,954 charter passengers.

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “It remains the case that the winter season will be particularly tough for the aviation industry, despite indications that confidence is slowly returning to the market. November’s 8.6% downturn is indicative of the difficult conditions facing the industry as a whole, however the airport team continues to discuss a number of possibilities with new airlines.

“During November we welcomed the start of Aer Olympic’s new weekly service to northern Iraq, offering weekly flights to the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. It is the first time that Birmingham Airport has had direct links to Iraq and is offering a valuable service to the Midlands’ Iraqi and Kurdish community, who no longer face a battle up and down congested motorways to fly from airports outside of the Region.”

During November significant growth was achieved on scheduled flights to destinations such as Larnaca, Krakow, Rzeszow and Arrecife – where there is now considerably more capacity than the same month last year. Other routes proving popular include Hanover (+54.1%), Tenerife (+50.7%), Biarritz (+35.5%), Gerona (+30.8%), Lyon (+20.7%), Hamburg (+19.5%), Islamabad (+18.9%), Cork (+16.3%), Dundee (+10.7%), Belfast City (+10.3%), Inverness (+8.6%), Ashkhabad (+8.3%), Zurich (+7.1%), Dubai (+6.4%), Guernsey (+5.3%), Kaunas (+4.8%), Isle of Man (+3.9%) and Frankfurt (+2.3%).

Charter traffic which experienced growth included Barbados (+31.6%), Madeira (+24.8%), Greece (+17.2%), Egypt (+14.2%) and Cape Verde Islands (+13.9%).

Scheduled traffic accounted for 85.7% of the total passenger traffic in November whilst charter passengers made up the remaining 14.3%.

FlyB will be putting larger aircraft on its routes into Birmingham and Southampton from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport over the Christmas period to assist passengers stranded by the cancellation of Eurostar services.

Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer of Flybe, claimed the carrier is “pulling out all the stops” to help travellers reach their destinations.

He added: “Flybe is committed to ensuring that as many stranded Eurostar passengers as possible are able to complete their journeys.

“It is especially important at this time of the year when people are travelling to be with friends and loved ones over the festive period.”

FlyBe has announced a number of new routes for 2010 including the following from Birmingham International Airport:

• Birmingham: Avignon (3xweek), Bordeaux (4xweek), Limoges (3xweek) and Rennes (3Xweek)

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, comments: “In an environment in which other airlines are withdrawing services, we’re delighted to be offering close to 4,000 summer flights a week that include the operation of another 16 brand new routes. We are committed to ensuring that Flybe offers an extensive range of affordable quality flights to the widest possible range of attractive destinations.

“With people already planning next year’s holidays and wanting their budgets go as far as possible, it’s advisable to book early and take advantage of the lowest possible fares.”