More than half of the UK’s busiest airports have increased their "kiss-and-fly" charges, which are fees for dropping someone off near the terminal, according to new research by the RAC.
Out of 20 major UK airports, 11 have raised their prices since last July. Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton have joined Stansted at the top end, all now charging £7 just to stop for a few minutes.
In comparison, nine of the ten busiest airports in the European Union don’t charge anything for drop-offs.
Airports UK, the group that represents the airport industry, says all airports still offer free options further from the terminals. These include park-and-ride services where drivers can leave their car and take a shuttle to the airport.
Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Liverpool have each increased their prices by £1. They now charge £6 for stays between 10 and 20 minutes.
Cardiff Airport introduced a drop-off charge for the first time, asking for £3 for 10 minutes.
London Luton and Manchester airports turned out to be the most expensive when looking at cost per minute. Both charge £5 for a five-minute stop.
Rod Dennis from the RAC said, "Drivers are a captive audience and that's why we think airports are so keen on these sorts of fees. But honestly, £7 for a stop that could be no more than 10 minutes does seem a little steep.
"And the fact that these costs keep going up year after year, I think, is going to be a huge source of frustration for anyone dropping off a friend or loved one this summer."
Across Europe, places like Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle still don’t charge anything. The only one that does is Schiphol in the Netherlands, which asks for €2.50, about £2.17.
Karen Dee, chief executive of Airports UK, said, "Where fees are charged, this helps airports manage and reduce congestion, noise, carbon emissions and air pollution for local communities, something that they are mandated to do by the Government and local authorities.
"These charges are a part of the airport business model and help enable the provision of the widest variety of flights from the airport."
London City is currently the only airport on the UK list that doesn’t charge a drop-off fee at all.
A spokesperson for Gatwick said, "The drop off charge helps to limit the number of cars and reduces congestion at the entrance to our terminals and funds a number of sustainable transport initiatives." They also confirmed that drivers with a Blue Badge are exempt.
Belfast and Southampton also confirmed that Blue Badge holders don’t have to pay.
Southampton added that all money made from parking is reinvested into the airport and helps bring in new routes for the region.
