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The Air-Rail link connects the terminal to Birmingham International rail station

We endeavour to make the experience of flying from Birmingham as pleasant as possible.

For first-time fliers, the airport process works as follows:

On departure:

  1. Getting to the airport - you should aim to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before departure.
  2. Check-in.  You can check-in at the airline's check-in desk, automated check-in booth, or in many cases you can check-in online from home.  Check-in desks are located on the ground floor of the airport terminals.  Your check-in agent will take any baggage for the aircraft hold, tag it and send it directly to the aircraft.  You will need your passport and ticket, and will be issued with a boarding card with your seat number, departure gate and boarding time.
  3. From check-in proceed to the first-floor security check area.  This is the airport security check and your bags will be scanned.  You will also be asked to pass through a walk-through metal detector.
  4. After security, pass through into the departure lounge.  There are a range of shops and restaurants, so you can relax until your flight is due to depart.  There are no flight announcements at the airport, so keep an eye on the departure screens to see when and from which gate your flight will depart.
  5. Once the departure screens show your flight as 'Boarding', leave the departure lounge and follow the signs to the appropriate gate.  All gates at Birmingham are within an easy five minute walk of the lounge.
  6. At the gate, present your boarding card and passport to the handling agent.  You can then board the aircraft!

On your arrival:

  1. After your flight has landed and the seat-belt sign has been turned off, collect your hand baggage from the overhead lockers and disembark the aircraft.
  2. Proceed into the arrivals area.  The first stage is to pass through Immigration.  There are a number of channels for EU and non-EU citizens, and a new automated gate for biometric passport holders.
  3. After immigration, collect your bags from the baggage hall and pass through the appropriate Customs channel into the arrivals area of the airport.