Cost of airport drop-offs soar to record high

The cost of airport drop-offs has risen once again to a record high, with some airports charging as much as £7 for a swift 15-minute drop-off.

Indeed, seven of the country’s top 20 airports have actually increased their prices for summer 2024, with London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol all putting up prices by £1.

Unsurprisingly, more than 4 in 5 drivers surveyed by the RAC describe drop-off charges as a ‘rip-off’.

The most expensive airport drop-off remains London Stansted, which charges a hefty £7 for just 15 minutes – equivalent to 47p a minute.

Drop-off prices are not only eye-watering, but they are inconsistent, too. London Gatwick and Bristol now charge £6 for 10 minutes, Edinburgh charges £5 for 10 minutes and Birmingham charges £5 for 15 minutes.

The worst offender in terms of cost per minute is Manchester, which charges a whopping £5 for just five minutes – or £1 a minute.

It makes the next-most expensive, Leeds Bradford’s £6.50 charge for 10 minutes, look almost a bargain, at a ‘mere’ 65p a minute.

Airport drop-off fees are even more frustrating as motorists often have no choice. Nearly 4 in 10 say there was no feasible public transport alternative, while a further third cite unreliable public transport.

For 6 in 10 drivers, it is the sheer impracticality of travelling with lots of luggage on public transport that sees them drop people off instead.

"It is depressing, if perhaps unsurprising, to see seven airports have hiked their drop-off charges once again this year," says RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.

He says that having to pay £5, £6 or even £7 for the briefest of stops to simply open the boot and take some luggage out is bordering on the ridiculous.

"Some airports say the reason they charge for drop-offs is to discourage people from driving, but if the alternatives are non-existent, expensive or unreliable, then what choice do people really have?"

What’s more, London Heathrow and Gatwick make it even harder for motorists, adds Dennis. “It’s now not possible to pay the drop-off charge in-person at either airport.

Instead, motorists need to pay online using the official airport website, or by phone – an unfortunate extra peace of admin drivers could surely do without.

He does have a top tip, though – many airports offer free or cheaper short-term parking further away from the terminal, with official shuttle buses taking travellers right to the terminal gates. This might be significantly less convenient, but it does save money.