‘Rip-off’ airport drop-off fees soar again

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Thu, 17 Jul 2025

11 of the UK’s top 20 busiest airports have hiked their drop-off fees this year, with drivers dropping off friends and family now facing the highest charges on record.

Belfast City is the worst offender, putting up prices by a third, from £3 for 10 minutes to £4.

It now costs £5 for a 10-minute drop-off at Newcastle, while London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Liverpool have all put up prices by 20%, now charging £6 for between 10 and 20 minutes.

London Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton all charge the highest drop-off rate of £7.

On a cost-per-minute basis, London Luton and Manchester both charge £1 per minute. The RAC has calculated it is cheaper per minute to take a return flight from Manchester to Turkey in the height of the August summer getaway.  

For 2025, Cardiff Airport has joined the ranks of airports charging drop-off fees, with motorists paying £3 for 10 minutes.

It means London City is the only top 20 UK airport not to charge drop-off fees.

In contrast, eight of the top 10 European airports still offer free drop-offs, including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Rome.

"The sky really does seem to be the limit when it comes to the amount drivers get charged for making the briefest of stops to let friends or loved ones out to catch a flight," says RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis.

"The seemingly-annual ritual of many airports hiking the cost of drop-offs is unfortunately continuing unabated."

He added that drivers also need to be aware of the growing trend of airports dispensing with on-site payment in favour of introducing barrierless drop-offs that require payment online or by phone later.

"This is another source of frustration… anyone who doesn’t notice the change or simply forgets to pay will inevitably be stung with a very unwelcome parking charge notice."

Ask HJ

Our car was damaged at Meet & Greet airport parking - where do we stand?

I recently parked at Meet & Greet at East Midlands Airport. When we collected our car at around 2am in the dark with our disabled daughter, we just left. When we got home and took the cases out we noticed damage to the passenger door. MAG group are saying we should have reported this before leaving the carpark. They have video footage of us entering the carpark without damage surly they are accountable for the damage? The driver would have known they have hit something due to two dints and the paint scratched down to the metal.

We would suggest starting with a close read of the terms and conditions of the meet and greet service. It is possible that one of the conditions is that when collecting the vehicle, signing for the keys or leaving the car park is deemed acceptance of the vehicle's condition and that any damage must be reported at the time. If this is the case it will be difficult to get them to accept that they are responsible for the damage, as you will likely need to provide evidence that shows the vehicle was already damaged when it was handed back to you. We would suggest following their complaints procedure, and if this is unsuccessful to escalate to a parking trade body such as the British Parking Association or the Civil Aviation Authority.

Answered by David Ross

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