The airports that charge you £3 for a goodbye kiss

Drivers hit by 35p-a-minute fee just to drop off their loved ones

WAVING goodbye to your loved ones at an airport terminal can be an expensive business.

But drivers hoping to save money by using quick drop-off points instead of short-term parking are also being stung by rising fees.

They are being charged up to 35p a minute just to pick up or drop off their passengers.

Five of the UK’s 20 busiest airports have increased so-called ‘kiss and fly’ drop-off fees, while more than half have raised standard parking prices.

An investigation by the RAC found that London Stansted is now the most expensive airport for those wanting to drop off a loved one at the terminal. Last year it shared the top spot with Luton airport, with both charging £3 for ten minutes.

But Stansted has pulled ahead and now charges £3.50 for ten minutes – or 35p a minute.

The RAC described the fees as ‘eye-watering’. It said motorists will view the increases as ‘another way of making money out of them’ and advised drivers to ‘keep goodbyes to a minimum’.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport requires £3 for 20 minutes at its express drop-off, while Glasgow airport has also done away with free drop-offs, and demands £2 for ten minutes.

Birmingham Airport operates a premium drop-off facility which also charges £2 for ten minutes, while Edinburgh charges a relatively cheap £1 for five minutes for drivers prepared to bid a relatively fleeting farewell. The RAC praised seven airports for keeping free dropoff points – Heathrow, Gatwick, Lonthere

‘Another way of making money’

don City, Manchester, Belfast City and Jersey.

But parking your car in short-stay car parks is also becoming more expensive.

The RAC found that 11 of the top 20 airports have put up the price of parking this year.

Drivers arriving at London Luton are charged the most in the UK at £7 for 40 minutes, according to the report, unchanged from last year.

London Stansted increased its levy by 50p to £5 for half an hour, while Birmingham increased the charge from £4.70 to £4.90 for one hour. At Manchester it costs £4, which is up 50p.

Heathrow increased its short-term charge by 20p to £3.80 for 30 minutes, while London Gatwick increased its half hour fee by 30p to the same amount.

Cardiff Airport and Southampton Airport have recently abandoned free pick-up parking for 20 minutes and ten minutes respectively. Now is a £1 charge for ten minutes at both. Only Leeds Bradford and Liverpool John Lennon Airport offer free pick-up parking with one hour at Bradford and 40 minutes at Liverpool.

RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: ‘The eye-watering drop-off and pick-up costs at some airports are likely to be viewed by drivers as another way of making money out of them, particularly in instances where public transport ... simply isn’t a viable option.

‘Drop-off charges are the biggest bone of contention as for many they appear severe when they are simply pulling up for less than five minutes and often don’t even get out of the car themselves.’

A spokesman for trade association the Airport Operators Association said income from parking supports investment in facilities and allows airports to keep other charges low.

Representatives for Stansted and Luton said the airports offered a variety of options, and that charges were a consequence of managing a busy area.