How much are UK airport drop-off charges now? At London Gatwick and London Stansted, it's £10 to pull up outside the terminal and let someone out, and most other big airports aren't far behind. Sixteen of the UK's 20 busiest airports raised their drop-off fees in the past year, pushing the average to about £7, according to the RAC. The UK government has now agreed to review the charges, and airports are pushing back. Norwich Airport's boss reportedly said the airport relies on its £8 fee. If you're giving someone a lift to the airport this winter, here's what you'll pay and how to avoid it.
What Every Big UK Airport Charges
The fees vary a lot depending on where you're flying from and how long you stop. Here's what the major airports charge for a standard drop-off right outside the terminal, based on the airports' own information and the RAC's latest survey.
- London Gatwick: £10 for up to 10 minutes, up from £7 at the start of the year
- London Stansted: £10
- Edinburgh: £8.50
- Bristol: £8.50
- London City: £8, with the highest per-minute rate in the country at £1.60
- Leeds Bradford: £8
- Bournemouth: £8
- Norwich: £8 for up to 20 minutes
- London Heathrow: £7 every time you enter a drop-off zone
- Manchester: charged by the minute, at £1.10 a minute
A few years ago this wasn't normal. Before Covid, six of the UK's 20 busiest airports let you drop off for free. Now all 20 charge. It's a lot of money for a hug and a wave, and it adds up fast when you're also picking someone up a week later.
How to Avoid Paying
Most of the big London airports offer a free way around the fee if you're willing to give up the door-to-door drop-off. At Heathrow, you can drop someone off for free at the Park & Ride car parks, where a free bus takes them to the terminal. Gatwick lets drivers stop in its long-stay car parks for up to two hours at no charge, with a free shuttle to the terminals. Stansted and Luton reportedly offer similar free drop-offs in their longer-stay car parks, so check the airport's website before you set off.
Elsewhere, some airports have free waiting zones a short distance from the terminal, including Bristol and Newcastle. London City is the main exception. It doesn't offer a free drop-off option, though it's easy to reach on the DLR, and most of its passengers already arrive by public transport.
If you hold a Blue Badge, you can usually drop off for free, but at some airports, including Heathrow, you have to register in advance. And whatever you do, don't skip paying. At Heathrow, an unpaid drop-off brings an £80 parking charge, cut to £40 if you pay within two weeks.
Why Airports Charge, and What the Review Means
Airports say the fees cut down on traffic jams outside the terminal and push people toward trains and buses. They also bring in serious money, around £300 million a year across UK airports by one estimate. Airports UK, the industry's trade group, has argued that airports in other countries are often publicly owned and get state support, while UK airports mostly have to pay their own way.
Drivers aren't convinced. Four in five drivers surveyed by the RAC called the charges a rip-off. None of the EU's 10 busiest airports charge for drop-offs, and neither do big hubs like Atlanta, Dubai or Istanbul.
The government review won't make the fees go away anytime soon. It was added to a bill on airline passengers' rights that's still working its way through Parliament, and once that becomes law, the Transport Secretary will have to study and publish how drop-off charges affect travelers. It doesn't give the government power to set the fees, though. For now, the Department for Transport has only said it hopes airports will "exercise restraint," which isn't quite the same as a cap. Some travel groups want one anyway, with the Business Travel Association calling for fees to be limited to £3.
Until then, the cheapest airport lift is the one that stops at the long-stay car park.
