Increased airport drop-off charges 'ridiculous'

Several UK airports have increased drop off charges over the past year, the RAC says

Airports have been criticised for raising charges for drivers who are dropping off passengers.

The RAC says its latest research shows more than a third of major airports have increased fees for so-called "kiss and fly" visits by £1 since last summer.

The charges are typically levied for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: "It's depressing. To have to pay £5, £6 or even £7 for the briefest of stops to simply open the boot and take some luggage out for a friend or loved one is bordering on the ridiculous."

In Bristol, the charge was raised to £6 from £5 for a 10-minute stop.

The other three airports which have increased fees by £1 are Gatwick (which now charges £6 for 10 minutes), Edinburgh (£5 for 10 minutes) and Birmingham (£5 for 15 minutes).

Three others - Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen - have raised their prices by 50p.

At Bristol Airport, the drop-off charge was raised to £6 for 10 minutes

Cardiff, Inverness and London City were the only airports the RAC found was still allowing free drop-offs.

Passengers being dropped off at airports by taxis and private hire vehicles generally have the fees added to their fares, the RAC added.

More than a third (37%) of respondents who had dropped someone off at an airport in the previous 12 months said there was "no feasible public transport alternative".

Some 59% of those polled said the reason for driving was the impracticality of airline passengers travelling with lots of luggage on public transport.

'Keeping charges low'

Mr Dennis added: "Some airports say the reason they charge for drop-offs at all is to discourage people from driving in the first place, but if the alternatives are non-existent, expensive or unreliable then what choice do people really have?"

A spokesperson for trade body Airports UK said: "Non-aeronautical income such as drop-off fees allow airports to keep charges to airlines low and to invest in sustainable transport options, benefiting travellers through lower air fares and increased connectivity.

"It also supports the record investments airports are making in improved facilities and infrastructure to create the best possible experience for passengers, as well as encourage people travelling to airports to make use of other, more sustainable forms of transport."