Glasgow Airport has invited the ire of travellers after introducing a “kiss-and-drop” charge of £2 for anyone ferrying friends or family to the terminal entrance.
The levy is expected to be introduced at the end of April when a new multi-million pound pick-up and drop-off facility opens at the Scottish airport.
Motorists staying up to 10 minutes will have to pay £2. A spokesperson for the airport said anyone staying longer would be subject to “an incremental charge”.
Pick-up charges – £2 for 10 minutes or £3 for 20 – have been in place at the airport, the UK’s eighth busiest, since 2010. The airport handles 9.2 million passengers a year.
A petition against the fee has already been launched, collecting nearly 600 signatures in 24 hours. John Simm, who started the petition, accused the airport of implementing a “money-making scheme”.
The motoring association, the RAC, called the “sky-high charges… unnecessarily punitive”.
But Glasgow said the charges were necessary to address congestion issues in the area.
“I appreciate that not everyone will be supportive of the new charging structure, however, we will always continue to provide a free option [in the long-stay car park],” said Amanda McMillan, managing director.
“We have resisted introducing a drop-off charge despite most airports of our size having similar arrangements in place for many years, however, having exhausted all possible alternatives we have now reached a point whereby a chargeable facility is the only way to address congestion, discourage non-airport traffic and encourage best use of our road network.”
She said that the current drop-off area suffers from congestion on a daily basis and is “simply no longer fit for purpose”.
“It was implemented at a time when we were carrying 6.5 million passengers, however, we have since enjoyed sustained growth and are now fast approaching the 10 million mark,” she added.
Pick-up and drop-off fees are used by airports across the UK, with Luton among the most expensive, charging £3 for 10 minutes and £1 per minute thereafter. A 20-minute stay would cost £13. London Heathrow charges £3.80 for 30 minutes, London Gatwick £3.50 for the same length of time, while Manchester charges £4 for 30 minutes outside T1.
London Stansted charges £3 for 10 minutes, with a £50 penalty for anyone staying longer.
In 2015, then-Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport Robert Goodwill heaped praise on the charges, claiming they encouraged passengers to take public transport to the airport.
(Source: The Telegraph)
The levy is expected to be introduced at the end of April when a new multi-million pound pick-up and drop-off facility opens at the Scottish airport.
Motorists staying up to 10 minutes will have to pay £2. A spokesperson for the airport said anyone staying longer would be subject to “an incremental charge”.
Pick-up charges – £2 for 10 minutes or £3 for 20 – have been in place at the airport, the UK’s eighth busiest, since 2010. The airport handles 9.2 million passengers a year.
A petition against the fee has already been launched, collecting nearly 600 signatures in 24 hours. John Simm, who started the petition, accused the airport of implementing a “money-making scheme”.
The motoring association, the RAC, called the “sky-high charges… unnecessarily punitive”.
But Glasgow said the charges were necessary to address congestion issues in the area.
At a glance | Kiss-and-drop charges around the country
| Airport | Charge | Cost per minute | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | £2 for 10 minutes | 20p | |
| Luton | £3 for 10 minutes | 30p | |
| Heathrow | £3.80 for 30 minutes | 13p | |
| Gatwick | £3.50 for 30 minutes | 12p | |
| Manchester (T1) | £4 for 30 minutes | 13p | |
| Stansted | £3 for 10 minutes | 30p | |
| Edinburgh (pick-up) | £3.90 for 15 minutes | 26p | |
| Edinburgh (drop-off) | £3 for 10 minutes | 30p | |
| Birmingham | £1 for 10 minutes | 10p |
“We have resisted introducing a drop-off charge despite most airports of our size having similar arrangements in place for many years, however, having exhausted all possible alternatives we have now reached a point whereby a chargeable facility is the only way to address congestion, discourage non-airport traffic and encourage best use of our road network.”
She said that the current drop-off area suffers from congestion on a daily basis and is “simply no longer fit for purpose”.
“It was implemented at a time when we were carrying 6.5 million passengers, however, we have since enjoyed sustained growth and are now fast approaching the 10 million mark,” she added.
Pick-up and drop-off fees are used by airports across the UK, with Luton among the most expensive, charging £3 for 10 minutes and £1 per minute thereafter. A 20-minute stay would cost £13. London Heathrow charges £3.80 for 30 minutes, London Gatwick £3.50 for the same length of time, while Manchester charges £4 for 30 minutes outside T1.
London Stansted charges £3 for 10 minutes, with a £50 penalty for anyone staying longer.
In 2015, then-Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport Robert Goodwill heaped praise on the charges, claiming they encouraged passengers to take public transport to the airport.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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