Airport drop-off penalties that cost more than a f light
Airports are charging drivers as much as £25 for loitering too long when they drop someone at the terminal.
Critics said it means that ‘kiss and fly’ charges can be more than the cost of a cheap flight to Europe.
An audit of drop-off charges at Britain’s biggest airports reveals that stansted in Essex charges the biggest minimum fee of £4 for up to ten minutes.
And there are hefty penalties for those who overstay.
Drivers who park for more than ten minutes have to pay an extra £1 a minute, and they are penalised with a £25 charge if they stay more than 15 minutes.
this equates to a parking rate of more than £1.60 a minute for those who stay just beyond the allotted time.
By comparison, last night the ryanair website was offering one-way flights from stansted to European destinations including poitiers in France for £2.99.
Manchester airport is even stricter than stansted. it imposes a minimum fee of £3 for up to five minutes, or £4 for up to ten minutes. But drivers who park for more than ten minutes will be hit with a £25 penalty fee.
this is the equivalent of just under £2.50 per minute, for those who depart just over the ten-minute cut off.
Airports say they impose steep charges to deter drivers from causing congestion by loitering outside the terminal, where there is limited space.
they also point out that drivers can park much more cheaply – or even for free – if they use the short- stay car parks or drop- off areas further away from the terminal.
But simon Williams, of the rAC, said: ‘As if the cost of picking someone up or dropping them off at the airport isn’t bad enough, the penalties for staying too long can be truly eye-watering.
‘You really can’t afford to take your eye off the clock, otherwise you might end up being stung with a charge that is as much as catching a cheap flight to Europe.’
of the 16 airports assessed by the Daily Mail, only three – Heathrow, Gatwick and London City – gave the option of dropping a passenger off outside the terminal for free.
But waiting is not allowed, with police and airport staff patrolling the forecourts.
MAG, which owns stansted, Manchester and East Midlands airports, said: ‘At our airports, passengers being dropped off at the forecourt are subject to a charge, which is designed to encourage alternative, more sustainable transport options while reducing congestion and traffic jams at the airport and on surrounding roads.’