 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, Crystal are advising that we arrive at (Birmingham) airport 3 hours before our flight, we're just going to Austria and have checked in already. Our flight is at 6.25am so every minute counts! We went to Prague from London near Christmas and it was fine but Crystal saying it's taking longer. Any experience?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We arrived at 4.10 for a 7 am flight last Sunday & it was very busy on arrival. Two flights being checked in. TUI are using the very end bit of the terminal closest to the IBIS (far right hand side if standing outside looking at the terminal building) and you queue snaking around to use the self weigh/bag drop. Took us around 40 mins to get through & the queue was as long behind us as when we started. No queues at security & had time for breakfast before boarding. Basic questions re testing/vacc status to be allowed to join the check in queue then all paperwork checked before moving on to self weighing/bag drop.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Agree with @Chuckles3
I was on a TUI/Crystal flight out of BHX at that time just after Christmas, and 2 hours was plenty to get checked in (which as mentioned is a case of a member of staff checking your paperwork, then using a self serve check in machine, then going to a bag drop counter), then get through security, and still get some breakfast in Pret...
Really wasn't too busy at that time of day when I compare it to the London airports... We're going from there to SZG at half term (TUI flight only this time), and based on what we know now, it will be car park 3 plus Ibis the night before - slightly more convenient than the Hilton...
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@ratechaser, Snap re the hotel choice in half term. We’re off again in March & have booked Ibis/car park 2/3. The Hilton/car park 1 is great (fabulous rump steak), but any yomping of bags too far at that time of day just adds extra stress & strain before you even get started.
We certainly wont be rushing over 3 hrs before, might split the difference at 2.5.
It helped having everything on paper, less faff getting phones out & we were able to jump the queue slightly.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Chuckles3, agreed, paper everything... I have Mrs RC to thank for that... quite an old fashioned approach but it definitely works well here. When faced with a neatly ordered pile of paperwork in a folder, most officials tend to give it only a very cursory check...
Not sure what to expect from a 'budget' IBIS as have never used that or any other IBIS brand before, but we're barely going to be there for 6 hours so as long as the bed is clean, who cares...
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@bobcat, I'm not going to offer any advice, but I have made 4 flight since October, 2 from Birmingham one from Heathrow (BA seemed to be the only people flying to Lyon) and one from Luton. These are my observations.
For both flights from Birmingham we arrived about 2 hours before the flight and walked from the car park (about 10 minutes). There were no queue at the Jet2 checkin and a short one at the KLM desk. They were just checking that you had a covid pass amongst the usual passport etc.. The airport was very quiet and there were no queues at security. We were airside less than 30 minutes after arriving at the car park.
Last Saturday we flew Easyjet from Luton to Geneva. Once again parked in the midterm and walked to the terminal. There was no one in front of us at bag drop, only a quick check that we were vacinated before going to the bag drop area. There were no queues at secruity unlike the 30 minutes I associate with Luton of old. It was about 40 minutes from arriving at the car park to being airside. The only queue and stressful moment was the wait to be served at the bar/restaurant. It was bad - avoid if possible. However, there was a long queue at the TUI checkin desk. It looked to me that it would be over 30 minutes.
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There’s just a chance, with a bit of sweet talking, that bags could be checked in and paperwork checked the night before the flight.
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@ratechaser, From memory the Ibis is absolutely fine. We’ve used them all at BHX now & whilst the Hilton is our fav, the Ibis def suits the TUI check in location when loaded with luggage. Try to avoid the Novotel these days as it’s very dated & the restaurant is rubbish. The restaurant at the Hilton is open & prob the best eatery option on airport at the moment as F&B and All Bar One were shut the week before last.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Travelled on 15th Jan from BHX. The check-in area was a zoo, 3 TUI flights due out within half an hour of each other. We arrived pretty early for our flight, just after 04:30, and the queue was already vast. At one point we were doing 1 step forwards and 2 back as people for the first flight, Salzburg, we being called forward. When we got to the head of the queue there only seemed to be one option and that was to use the self check-in machines, quite of few of which were either not working or had people being assisted by TUI groundstaff. My check-in was not smooth as the machine did not want issue me with baggage tags for my ski bag. By the time we had got through security etc our flight was on last call! This system is clearly very inefficient and needs reviewing!
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@Chuckles3, Last December was the first time we'd flown from one of the non-London airports, and I was quite surprised to see the lack of eating options at BHX - we were staying at the Hilton anyway because it's the brand I've got status with and can be useful, but we ended up eating there too due to there being nothing else (ok we looked at the Novotel restaurant but weren't impressed...). It was a decent enough meal though, had some good buffalo wings!
@CP, when we went, our BHX-VRN flight was the first of the day for TUI, in fact I don't think they had another for about 2 hours after - this of course was when France and Austria were pretty much off limits so everything was cancelled. You've now got me thinking that I need to check what other flights will be going out early on the 12th, as I can well believe that if there are a few between 6-7am, it's going to get very busy indeed at check in...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Incidentally... I saw on an old website page of TUIs that they used to do twilight check in at BHX... no more it seems and that's a real annoyance as it would make the mornings sooooooooo much easier!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| ratechaser wrote: |
@Chuckles3, Last December was the first time we'd flown from one of the non-London airports, and I was quite surprised to see the lack of eating options at BHX - we were staying at the Hilton anyway because it's the brand I've got status with and can be useful, but we ended up eating there too due to there being nothing else (ok we looked at the Novotel restaurant but weren't impressed...). It was a decent enough meal though, had some good buffalo wings!
@CP, when we went, our BHX-VRN flight was the first of the day for TUI, in fact I don't think they had another for about 2 hours after - this of course was when France and Austria were pretty much off limits so everything was cancelled. You've now got me thinking that I need to check what other flights will be going out early on the 12th, as I can well believe that if there are a few between 6-7am, it's going to get very busy indeed at check in... |
Thanks everyone, I think i recall that Tui don't have many check in desks/ bag drop whatever compared to other airlines so that might be why they're particularly slow.
ratechaser - if you hop on the train/airport monorail and head over to resorts world there are more restaurant options there but it's not well publicised.
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@bobcat, thanks, this time round it will be straight to bed, but will bear it in mind! Given where we live, I've realised that it's daft to always insist on London airport departures and you can get some bargains going from BHX, EMA - even BRS or MAN if you don't mind the drive...
And having just looked, there's Innsbruck, Verona and Chambery all going out around the same time as our Salzburg flight. So I take it back, it's going to be an absolute zoo there in the morning. Defo 2.5 hours for us... 
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You know it makes sense.
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Yes better be safe than sorry, don't need the stress
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The Resorts World shout is a good one. In non covid times this is always our first choice for a walk over, a couple of drinks & an early dinner. It did used to get very busy though so we’d pre-book a restaurant to guarantee a seat without a long wait.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Austrian Seagull wrote: |
| There’s just a chance, with a bit of sweet talking, that bags could be checked in and paperwork checked the night before the flight. |
With TUI airways at least this has disappeared for now, mainly because until recently there weren't many/any flights after the morning departure wave, so noone from TUI was around after checkin for these flights closed
Now that travel generally seems tobe picking up aagain it will hopefully come back
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Austrian Seagull wrote: |
| There’s just a chance, with a bit of sweet talking, that bags could be checked in and paperwork checked the night before the flight. |
With TUI airways at least this has disappeared for now, mainly because until recently there weren't many/any flights after the morning departure wave, so noone from TUI was around after checkin for these flights closed
Now that travel generally seems tobe picking up aagain it will hopefully come back
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@paul.71, yes absolutely... we thought we'd try our luck on Boxing Day evening, but the TUI check in area was totally deserted. Hard to sweet talk staff that aren't there!
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While I don't think I have ever come close to needing 3 hours to catch a flight, I have been on a trip where we were easily an hour later than intended to the airport due to traffic. Worst case on this you won't be catching flights...
Equally I have spent longer making automated boarding pass gates work (before the supervisor override) than getting through checkin + security (inc oversized baggage drop) (despite expecting covid checks to make everything take 10x as long).
One means an expensive coffee in an uncomfortable seat while waiting; The other means missing a holiday/massive expense to book alternative flights last minute...
Mostly I try to time flights so that I can have a (usually expensive) meal at the airport, because sods law says when I leave it tight will be when something goes horribly wrong.
TLDR: I would seriously consider getting up to allow 3 hours just in case there is a massive crash on a road I needed to travel down to get to the airport... (it is a little different if overnighting in an airport hotel where you can walk in 5-10 minutes)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| qwerty360 wrote: |
| TLDR: I would seriously consider getting up to allow 3 hours just in case there is a massive crash on a road I needed to travel down to get to the airport... (it is a little different if overnighting in an airport hotel where you can walk in 5-10 minutes) |
Same. Due to my travel companion's tardiness, we were last in the queue for the only TUI flight departing Doncaster Sheffield a few years ago. Issues with our booking when we eventually reached the check-in desk made for a nervy rush through the airport, made worse by my travel companion's insistence on getting something from a shop on the way through departures. I left her to that as she decided to ignore the "gate is now closing" messages.
The only reason they didn't close it without her I suspect was because she had a suitcase and a board bag to find in the hold in order to kick her off.
Having also missed a flight home from Lyon when the motorway was closed and the coach shuttle service got stuck (in the days before the train option) and arrived at the airport 15 minutes before plane departed (before 9/11), I now prefer to be at the airport about 3 hours before departure. My holiday and my sitting around just start a bit earlier if nothing goes wrong.
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| Quote: |
Given where we live, I've realised that it's daft to always insist on London airport departures and you can get some bargains going from BHX, EMA - even BRS or MAN if you don't mind the drive...
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When planning a trip I have a matrix of departure and arival airports. Columns representing departures - BHX, MAN, LTN etc and rows for arrivals so for the Dolomites they might be Innsbruck (change at Frankfurt), Venice etc and then research each in turn.
The cheepest flights always seem to be from the far distant airports around London (strange that). I also add in a hassle factor to places like Luton and Manchester as it will be very difficult to forecast how long the drive will take.
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@johnE, well Luton is my closest airport so although I bake in a "hassle factor" there, it's more because it's such a horrible place to have to pass through. 
But I am located in a spot where even MAN and BRS are within 3 hours drive, and the majority of our flights these days necessitate an overnight stop - which the kids used to see as an extension to the holiday, and now just take as read... But it does offer us quite a lot of options. Mind you, our specific SZG flight is now priced at £749pp , so either it's got very full very quickly, or TUI's algorithms are up the spout.
By the way, I can't claim to be so organised as to have a matrix of routes to test out, but ITA Matrix and Google Flights are permanently open in my browser... travel geek that I am.
And finally, being at the airport 3+ hours before is only ever fine with me if there's a OneWorld lounge I can access. Pret at BHX is all very well, but there's no free booze 
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