If you have plans to jet off this summer, plan ahead as holidaymakers are being urged to check drop-off and pick-up charges that may be picked up at the airport, to avoid being squeezed by unjustified fees and fines.
The international airports in the UK have introduced charges up to £1 per minute in the spaces closest to the terminals in new bids to raise profits, at the cost of their customers. Some airports, such as Manchester Airport or Stansted airport, which tend to see a huge amount of traffic, charge a hefty £25 if drivers exceed a 10 minute limit when dropping off friends or family- an uneconomical price to pay for the short amount of time allowed.
Although not all airports have dramatically increased their prices for drop-offs and pick-ups, there has been a tougher crackdown on rule-breakers, as more recently many airports are imposing tougher penalty charges for those who attempt to abstain from paying to park.
Up to £100 fines for rulebreakers
As travel expenses have exponentially increased, leading to UK airports also increasing their prices to park, airports such as Birmingham are charging up to £100 for failing to comply with their parking regulations. This could easily decimate your holiday budget if you're not careful! Some airports are profiting from poor travel planning, so don’t be caught out with costly drop-off and pick-up fees.
On the bright side, Jersey, Cardiff and Inverness airports are still going strong, and are free to park at for quick set-downs and collections, and some airports such as Edinburgh airport even offer discounts such as 50% discount for electric powered vehicles.
Other airports such as Gatwick, Bristol and Luton airport charge a decent price of £5 for 10 minutes, the price of a coffee, which is a more realistic small sum to pay to park. However these airports can charge up to £1 per minute after 10/20 minutes, after the initial first 10 minutes.
Our advice - if you think you need extra time to say your farewells or perhaps your welcomes, go to the short stay car parks and be in no rush if you’d like to save some money. Be sure to research your airport carefully before you set off as there are always free ways to drop passengers off and collect them from the airport. A little forward planning to save money is always essential.