With the summer holiday season here, new research has revealed dramatic increases in the cost of dropping off passengers at the airport.
Paying to use ‘kiss-and-fly’ zones in the UK has become a modern phenomenon, but the prices charged have rocketed over the past 12 months.
The RAC found that sixteen of the UK’s 20 busiest airports have upped their fees for dropping off by an average of a third since last summer.
The typical price charged in airport drop-off zones rose by £1.70 in one year, reaching an average cost of £7.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a London airport emerged as the most expensive. London City airport charges the equivalent of £1.60 per minute to drop passengers at its terminal.
Although London City’s new price of £8 for five minutes is high, the RAC notes that easy access to public transport means there is an effective alternative.
An expensive flying visit
Manchester Airport, which costs £5.50 for five minutes (equivalent to £1.10 a minute), is the next priciest place to drop off on a per-minute basis.
This is followed by London Gatwick on £1 a minute, then Edinburgh and Bristol (85p a minute) and Leeds Bradford (80p a minute).
Four airports in the UK have not increased their prices for summer 2026: Liverpool John Lennon, East Midlands, Belfast City and Southampton.
The RAC notes that the five busiest airports (London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Luton) all insist that drivers pay their drop-off fee by midnight the day after visiting. Forgetting to do so can incur a parking charge of £100.
Notably, none of the top 10 busiest airports in the EU charge for drop offs, putting the UK at odds with Europe.
Beware ‘park now, pay later’ zones
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “It’s disappointing to see so many airports charging so much for what many regard as a simple act of kindness in dropping off family and friends.
“Having a captive audience should be no excuse for these ‘farewell fees’ – especially when they’re completely at odds with how major airports around the world operate. Of course, airports need to manage the limited space they have carefully, but if free, convenient drop-off zones work at so many other international airports then why not here?
“The growing number of airports that operate barrierless ‘park now, pay later’ drop-off zones is also something drivers need to be extremely careful of.
“Those that drop off but miss the signage, or forget to go online or phone the airport to pay soon afterwards, can face a parking charge notice as high as £100 – a fee that feels distinctly disproportionate to the contravention.”
ALSO READ:
Where are the UK’s Clean Air Zones and how do they affect you?
