£10 just to say goodbye: ‘Rip-off’ UK airport drop-off fees face government review

You’ve got 10 minutes at the kerb, a suitcase to unload and a goodbye to get through before the meter starts running. Now the government has backed a review into whether airports should be charging drivers up to £10 (€11.70) for it at all.

Fees have jumped by a third in a year

Anyone who drops loved ones at a UK airport has watched the price of a quick goodbye climb sharply. The RAC found that 16 of the country’s 20 busiest airports raised their drop-off charges since last summer, with the typical fee up by £1.70 (€2) to about £7 (€8.20).

Gatwick and Stansted are now the dearest at £10, while London City works out at around £1.60 a minute. Manchester charges £5.50 (€6.45) for five minutes.

UK airports are thought to collect around £300 million (€351 million) a year from these charges, and four in five drivers surveyed by the RAC called them a ‘rip-off’. Meanwhile, none of the 10 busiest airports in the EU charge for drop-offs.

The review is part of a bill that isn’t law yet 

The review comes from an amendment to the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, which peers agreed on Monday July 13 without opposition from the government. Transport minister Keir Mather has since said the government has no objection to a review. 

The bill is now going through the House of Commons, so it hasn’t become law yet. Once it does, the Transport Secretary would have to review and publish how drop-off charges affect passengers, with affordability, transparency and whether free drop-off should be available all expected to feature.

The Department for Transport has also said it hopes airports will ‘exercise restraint on rises, particularly where there are limited public transport alternatives’. However, that’s a hope rather than a rule, and the review doesn’t give the government any power to set fees.

How drivers could benefit

The most immediate help could be airports holding prices where they are while the review runs, rather than adding another pound or two this winter.

Longer term, the evidence could give ministers the grounds to act. The Business Travel Association has already called for a £3 cap, peak-time-only charges, a 50 per cent electric vehicle discount and a single daily charge, although none of those has been adopted.

The review could also show where drivers have no real alternative, because the fee only makes sense as a nudge towards public transport if there’s a train or bus to catch. That matters for Brits in Spain whose relatives drive them to airports like Leeds Bradford or Stansted at the start and end of every visit home.

Ways to avoid the fee in the meantime 

Some airports still let you drop off for free in mid-stay or long-stay car parks, usually with a free shuttle to the terminal. Birmingham also gives the first 10 minutes free, and Inverness gives 15.

Where a barrier-less drop-off zone is used, pay online or by phone before the deadline, because missed payments can bring penalties of up to £100. So check your airport’s website before you set off.