Rise in airport drop-off fees blamed on climate change
Holidaymakers are finding out at first hand the cost of fighting climate change and achieving net zero as they discover drop-off fees at the UK’s major airports have risen by a third on average since last summer.
Research by the RAC motoring group revealed that the cost of pulling up to the closest point to terminals at 16 of the 20 UK busiest airports had gone up in the last 12 months by an average of £1.70 to £7 compared to this time last year.
The reason for that is that authorities are trying to discourage passengers from travelling by car because of the government’s transport and environmental policies.
“It is amazing how every area of our lives is affected by climate change,” says Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.
All the country’s main terminals charge at least £5 to stop at the terminal doors for a so-called “kiss and fly” drop-off, a policy which is claimed to raise £300 million a year for airports.
For those who arrive by car at a terminal, Britain now charges up to £1 a minute for passengers to be dropped off near the check-in desks.
Under “surface access strategies”, airports now set targets of how many of their passengers must arrive there by public transport.
Ron said the government’s permission for Gatwick Airport to build a second runway was conditional on at least 54 per cent of passengers getting to and from the airport by public transport.
To get a third runway, Heathrow may also have to come up with a policy to try and put people off driving to the airport.
London airport Gatwick is top of the drop-off prices, charging a “farewell fee” of £10 for 10 minutes, after lifting it by £3 from last year. But the airport says it has links to 120 train stations across London and the south east, with eight local bus routes running 24/7.
Stansted also charges £10 but drivers are allowed 15 minutes at its “express set down” outside departures.
Dropping off passengers at Birmingham Airport costs either £0 at a car park which is 400 metres away or £7 nearer the airport. But be warned if you stay more than 10 minutes, charges skyrocket.
London City Airport, which only started making people pay this year, is the most expensive on a per-minute basis. Its £8 charge for five minutes works out at £1.60 per minute.
In contrast, while the UK is a world leader in drop-off fees, none of the top 10 airports in the EU charge for passengers being brought to a terminal, according to RAC research.
Airports UK, the trade body, said that free drop-offs were available and fees were part of airports’ business models and climate change objectives.
The Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) campaign group said there needs to be an incentive for people to use other forms of transport to reduce congestion and air pollution around airports.
“It just shows that holidaymakers need to add research on dropping off at the airports to all their other travel questions,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park.
To avoid unexpected charges, Ron advises
- Check fees and how to pay them before setting off. Note: Blue Badge holders are sometimes exempt.
- Look for cheaper or free alternatives, such as car parks slightly further away which have shuttle buses to the terminal.
- Research possible public transport alternatives.
- Make your goodbyes quick to avoid overstaying the limit.
- Check where a taxi will drop you and whether they include the fee in their fare.
This article raises some important questions, said Ron. Are you going on holiday from an airport this summer and will you be driving there? Will you be going by public transport to help the fight against climate change as some of our readers are? Are these drop-off fees too high and what should be done about it? Send your views to Ron Fox at [email protected]
For those wanting more advice about green travel and energy, call Ron on 0845 474 6641 or contact him here
Caption: Taking off – airport drop-off fees for holidaymakers flying out to the sun. Picture: John Butterworth.
