Cost of dropping off increased in most UK airports
The cost of dropping off someone for a flight has increased in most UK airports, according to data published today.
Figures from the RAC showed that, out of 21 of the busiest UK hubs, 16 have amped their costs in the last three years.
“Anyone dropping a loved one off at the terminal this summer will be stunned by some of these sky-high, kiss-and-drop charges,” said RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes.
“Minute for minute and pound for pound, some of these charges could almost be as high as the airfare itself.”
Stansted, the research said, has become the most expensive UK airport for “kiss-and-fly” – the drop-off of someone near the departure point – as it raised its cost to £7 for 15 minutes in November 2020.
Before the pandemic, the charge was at £4 for 10 minutes.
An airport spokesperson said the increased fee is used to “to develop new passenger services and facilities and keep charges low for airlines, resulting in cheaper air fares for our passengers.”
“The airport’s car parking and pick up and drop off prices are reviewed annually with the aim to improve customer service and develop a range of parking products that are convenient, competitively priced and suit a variety of different users.”
Stansted provides a free option for dropping travellers in mid to long-stay car parks connected to the terminals by bus.
Heathrow and Gatwick, on the other hand, charge £5 for drop-off – up from being free until 2019.
Commenting on the RAC data, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said: “Airports that operate drop-off charges directly outside the terminal do so for a number of different reasons, including to manage congestion in capacity-restricted areas and to limit the environmental and air quality impacts of ‘kiss and fly’ journeys.”