Should we be penalised with airport drop off charges?
Eight of the 21 airports analysed have raised or introduced charges for dropping off passengers since August 2022, an RAC investigation found.
Drop-off fees for drivers were introduced post-pandemic, and have increased at more than a third of major UK airports in the past year, according to new research.
Drivers should “brace themselves” for record high fees, the motoring services company said.
The biggest upswing in existing so-called kiss and fly charges – which are typically levied for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible – are at Southampton and Belfast International airports.
The former has raised its fee from £4 to £6 for 20 minutes, while the latter has hiked its price from £1 to £3 for 10 minutes.
Belfast City Airport previously allowed drivers to drop passengers near its terminal for free, but this now costs £3 for 10 minutes.
Aberdeen, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Liverpool John Lennon airports have each added £1 to their fees.
Despite not raising its price this year, Stansted airport continues to top the table for the most expensive drop-off cost.
The Essex airport’s initial fee is £7 for 15 minutes.
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, has frozen its fee of £5 with no time limit.
Passengers being dropped off at airports by taxis and private hire vehicles generally have the fees added to their fares.
Cardiff, Inverness and London City were the only airports analysed which allow free drop-offs outside terminals.
Many airports offer free options for dropping passengers off in mid or long-stay car parks connected to terminals by buses.
RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said motorists being hit by annual hikes in airport charges has become “an annual ritual”.
He went on: “Drivers should brace themselves for jaw-dropping prices when they drop their loved ones off at the terminal.
How do you feel about airport drop-off charges? Should there be a charge to drop a loved one off at the terminal? Is this getting out of hand?
