Birmingham Airport + Terror Threats + Profiteering

[jamoor]

Soo, Dad returned from a business trip yesterday and I was assigned with the task of picking him up from Birmingham airport. I picked him up in August last year too from Bham.

Last year was easy, drive in, due to terror threats or whatever the drop off area was shut, shame, but they had a car park right in front of the terminal which was now the drop off, there are barriers with tickets, as long as you don't take too long, it's free.

This year I drove up, £1 for 20 mins! I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way. I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line, which is more like a few smatterings of yellow paint with no bar ending them. I just parked there and waited until some jobsworth came upto me and told me "this isn't a drop off/pickup zone" naturally I told him to shove his comments up his *** and tell them to drop the charges at the drop off zone, after all the airport tax isn't exactly cheap so they should include a drop off point for free.

Are they taking the whole "terror threat" thing to raise revenue to pay the three community support officers standing at the entrance to the airport, or is the terrorist threat an excuse to make money? Why have they started charging now, when a few months ago it was free!!

What a Con.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way.

I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line,

naturally I told him to shove his comments up his ***

People like you are why everyone thinks BMW drivers/people driving Daddys BMW are *****.

I went to Birmingham Airport last August and had to pay £1 in the pickup area. It's nothing new.

 

[Muffin`]

Of course the terror threat is an excuse to make money, so is global warming - where have you been living.

 

[Rotty]

Of course the terror threat is an excuse to make money, so is global warming - where have you been living.

At Doncaster airport they charge you 50p for the clear plastic bag to put liquids in, I thought the bloke was having a joke when he told me

 

[Random Guy]

Well, its obvious isn't it? Military Spending was the biggest profit-maker last year in the UK. Fear is one hell of a motivator.

 

[growse]

At gatwick they now charge a pound just to beat up idiots!

 

[andyp]

Whilst I agree about the plastic policemen - I think if the revenue should go anywhere, it should be to those who silently and invisibly go about the real task of monitoring our airports and who will be invariably on the front line if anything does kick off.

Just because they're out of sight doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

[James07]

I thought the bloke was having a joke when he told me

Lmao, this made me laugh.

I can actually imagine that though, telling you to put it in a bag is bad enough, but then saying "50p please".

Complete joke.

 

[Muffin`]

Just because they're out of sight doesn't mean they don't exist.

It is true the threat is there and it is real, but blowing it out of proportion to bring fear to us is the only way to keep us in control. The IRA and Communism were real threats to National Security, Al-Queda are not on the same page.

 

[growse]

It is true the threat is there and it is real, but blowing it out of proportion to bring fear to us is the only way to keep us in control. The IRA and Communism were real threats to National Security, Al-Queda are not on the same page.

I woudln't necessarily put Communism and the IRA in the same book - after all, the IRA did actually blow things up in the UK, whereas I don't think there's ever been a "Communist bomb"?

Are you referring to the Cold war?

 

[andyp]

It is true the threat is there and it is real, but blowing it out of proportion to bring fear to us is the only way to keep us in control. The IRA and Communism were real threats to National Security, Al-Queda are not on the same page.

I didn't mean the perceived threat - I meant the people who monitor it.

People like the OP live in such a coccooned world they really can't see beyond their own noses. The PCSO's that man the fronts of every UK airport serve zero purpose except to provide a visible presence and keep the housewives feeling safe at night (think WWII Home Guard).

The people who actually do the real job of monitoring, reacting and being pro-active to the real threat are people who gain zero public recognition and zero thanks for doing their jobs. I'm sure they'd like to keep it that way though. The public are blissfully unaware of what goes on at our major airports and although the agencies concerned aren't in the slightest bit bothered about that - the rantings and ravings of the OP pale into the pitiful ramblings of someone who's too tied up in themselves to realise just exactly what is going on in the world around them.

 

[Ripper]

I know what goes on at airports, I watch Airline.

 

[.Griff.]

I've never had any problems dropping off or picking up people from Brum airport recently.

Then again I don't go around with an attitude problem.

 

[Muffin`]

I woudln't necessarily put Communism and the IRA in the same book - after all, the IRA did actually blow things up in the UK, whereas I don't think there's ever been a "Communist bomb"?

Are you referring to the Cold war?

Of course

 

[badbob]

Soo, Dad returned from a business trip yesterday and I was assigned with the task of picking him up from Birmingham airport. I picked him up in August last year too from Bham.

Last year was easy, drive in, due to terror threats or whatever the drop off area was shut, shame, but they had a car park right in front of the terminal which was now the drop off, there are barriers with tickets, as long as you don't take too long, it's free.

This year I drove up, £1 for 20 mins! I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way. I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line, which is more like a few smatterings of yellow paint with no bar ending them. I just parked there and waited until some jobsworth came upto me and told me "this isn't a drop off/pickup zone" naturally I told him to shove his comments up his *** and tell them to drop the charges at the drop off zone, after all the airport tax isn't exactly cheap so they should include a drop off point for free.

Are they taking the whole "terror threat" thing to raise revenue to pay the three community support officers standing at the entrance to the airport, or is the terrorist threat an excuse to make money? Why have they started charging now, when a few months ago it was free!!

What a Con.

Your car should have been clamped. Serve you right.

 

[Scuzi]

This year I drove up, £1 for 20 mins! I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way. I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line, which is more like a few smatterings of yellow paint with no bar ending them. I just parked there and waited until some jobsworth came upto me and told me "this isn't a drop off/pickup zone" naturally I told him to shove his comments up his *** and tell them to drop the charges at the drop off zone, after all the airport tax isn't exactly cheap so they should include a drop off point for free.

Yeah, you show them. How dare they tell you what to do, you're in daddy's BMW after all.

Given what happened in Glasgow, these security measures are necessary. Unfortunately the airports do not have outer drop off points therefore the car parks have to be used. The rules might change hence why some airports are not constructing an outer drop off point, it wouldn't be financially viable.

Are you one of these people that scream and shout because you were pulled over security screening, blaming it on being brown rather than random?

 

[ChrisJSY]

Y=
Given what happened in Glasgow, these security measures are necessary. Unfortunately the airports do not have outer drop off points therefore the car parks have to be used. The rules might change hence why some airports are not constructing an outer drop off point, it wouldn't be financially viable.

/agree /agree!
So many people these days like to whine kick and scream before they insert logic to their thoughts.

 

[Eriedor]

Soo, Dad returned from a business trip yesterday and I was assigned with the task of picking him up from Birmingham airport. I picked him up in August last year too from Bham.

Last year was easy, drive in, due to terror threats or whatever the drop off area was shut, shame, but they had a car park right in front of the terminal which was now the drop off, there are barriers with tickets, as long as you don't take too long, it's free.

This year I drove up, £1 for 20 mins! I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way. I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line, which is more like a few smatterings of yellow paint with no bar ending them. I just parked there and waited until some jobsworth came upto me and told me "this isn't a drop off/pickup zone" naturally I told him to shove his comments up his *** and tell them to drop the charges at the drop off zone, after all the airport tax isn't exactly cheap so they should include a drop off point for free.

Are they taking the whole "terror threat" thing to raise revenue to pay the three community support officers standing at the entrance to the airport, or is the terrorist threat an excuse to make money? Why have they started charging now, when a few months ago it was free!!

What a Con.

Because of £1? Haha!

 

[stoofa]

Soo, Dad returned from a business trip yesterday and I was assigned with the task of picking him up from Birmingham airport. I picked him up in August last year too from Bham.

Last year was easy, drive in, due to terror threats or whatever the drop off area was shut, shame, but they had a car park right in front of the terminal which was now the drop off, there are barriers with tickets, as long as you don't take too long, it's free.

This year I drove up, £1 for 20 mins! I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way. I then went and parked just outside the exit of the carpark where there is a "double yellow" line, which is more like a few smatterings of yellow paint with no bar ending them. I just parked there and waited until some jobsworth came upto me and told me "this isn't a drop off/pickup zone" naturally I told him to shove his comments up his *** and tell them to drop the charges at the drop off zone, after all the airport tax isn't exactly cheap so they should include a drop off point for free.

Are they taking the whole "terror threat" thing to raise revenue to pay the three community support officers standing at the entrance to the airport, or is the terrorist threat an excuse to make money? Why have they started charging now, when a few months ago it was free!!

What a Con.

I would have thought that the airport is classed as private land - so your comment about the Yellow Lines not being complete and not ending in a T-Bar really don't matter.
Saying that, you knew that they were Double-Yellow lines, so it doesn't really matter how bad they were - you were able to work out their meaning.

This "Jobsworth" comes and tells you to move along.
Damn him!
How dare he tell you what to do, I mean it is only his job.
Of course he should have decided that there would be one rule for you:
Park where you like, pay nothing because you are special
And one rule for everyone else:
Obey the signs and road markings and pay where neccessary.

I didn't notice you mention a BMW in your original post, it's funny.
Before I read the comments further down this thread I was honstly going to write "I bet you were in a BMW too".
Sorry to the nice BMW owners out there, but if this guy was indeed driving one this is the stereo-type that gets all BMW drivers tarred with the same brush.

The real shame and the real con here is the fact you weren't forced out of your car at gunpoint by armed police and then subsequently made to watch as they blew your car up as a security risk - parking on double-yellows at an airport with the way security is these days they probably would have been within their rights.
Would have made great TV viewing too.

 

[jamief]

The line that really struck me was

"I reversed out after horning at 3-4 people to tell them to get the hell outta my way"

If you were in front of me, trying to reverse out of the entrance to a carpark you'd get a tap on your window if you tried that.