Half of major airports hike drivers’ fees to pick up family
MORE than half of major airports have increased fees for drivers picking up friends and family this summer, a report has found.
In the worst case, pick-up fees at Luton Airport have surged to £8 for just half an hour of waiting time, according to analysis by motoring group the RAC.
Overall some 13 airports have raised initial pick-up prices over the past year – providing yet another source of irritation and expense to holidaymakers.
The £8 fee at Luton is up £1 on the year before. For the lower price, you could stay for a longer period of 40 minutes.
Last night Luton, which recently closed its short-stay car park, said the report was misleading as drivers can also pick up passengers in a designated zone at £3 for ten minutes.
It also offers two hours’ free parking in its long-stay car park, but this is a shuttle bus away from the airport.
Stansted has the second highest pick-up fees at £5.50 for an initial stay of up to half an hour, while Birmingham is third, with an hour-long stay costing £5.10 – rises of 50p and 20p respectively on last year.
Four airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester – share fourth spot with pick-up charges of £4. In real terms Edinburgh is most expensive as its fee covers just 15 minutes, whereas Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester allow stays of up to half an hour. Belfast, Liverpool John Lennon and Leeds Bradford airports are the only three major airports that still allow free short-stay pick-ups.
Airports are also charging fees of up to £3.50 for drivers just to drop passengers off at the terminal. However, there have been far fewer increases in such ‘kiss and drop’ fees in the past year.
Stansted has the most expensive initial drop-off charge, at £3.50 for ten minutes, but in real terms Manchester fares worse, with a five-minute stay costing £3.
Other than Manchester, which only began charging for drop-offs this year, Southampton is the only airport to increase its drop-off fee – from £1 to £2 but now with five minutes’ more waiting time.
Just four major airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and Cardiff – still offer free drop-off zones.
Drivers must also be wary of overstaying in drop-off zones as fees can quickly rocket after the initial time limit is exceeded. At Luton, Stansted and East Midlands, for example, those who overstay are effectively put on a meter charging £1 per additional minute.
Rod Dennis, of the RAC, said: ‘Many will unfortunately find themselves shocked by some of the extortionate parking tariffs operated by some airports. Our advice is to check parking fees and time limits well before setting out for an airport this summer so as to avoid a nasty shock.’
A spokesman for Luton Airport said the RAC had ‘misrepresented the facts’, adding: ‘Our “set down” area can be used by drivers either picking up or dropping off with a charge of £3 for ten minutes – 98 per cent of passengers who use this service stay for ten minutes or less.’