Increased airport drop-off charges 'ridiculous'

Airports have been criticised for raising charges for drivers who are dropping off engers.

The RAC says its latest research shows more than a third of major airports have increased fees for so-called "kiss and fly" visits by £1 since last summer.

The charges are typically levied for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: "It's depressing. To have to pay £5, £6 or even £7 for the briefest of stops to simply open the boot and take some luggage out for a friend or loved one is bordering on the ridiculous."

In Bristol, the charge was raised to £6 from £5 for a 10-minute stop.

The other three airports which have increased fees by £1 are Gatwick (which now charges £6 for 10 minutes), Edinburgh (£5 for 10 minutes) and Birmingham (£5 for 15 minutes).

Three others - Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen - have raised their prices by 50p.

Cardiff, Inverness and London City were the only airports the RAC found was still allowing free drop-offs.

engers being dropped off at airports by taxis and private hire vehicles generally have the fees added to their fares, the RAC added.

More than a third (37%) of respondents who had dropped someone off at an airport in the previous 12 months said there was "no feasible public transport alternative".

Some 59% of those polled said the reason for driving was the impracticality of airline engers travelling with lots of luggage on public transport.

Mr Dennis added: "Some airports say the reason they charge for drop-offs at all is to discourage people from driving in the first place, but if the alternatives are non-existent, expensive or unreliable then what choice do people really have":[]}