How to avoid pricey UK airports fees – and where you can drop passengers off for free
MOST airports now charge passengers to drop off their friends and family at the airport, with some charging up to £7 for a few minutes.
Both Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport introduced a £5 fee last year, making them some of the priciest in the UK.
Most airport drop off fees range from £3 to £7, with London Stansted being the most expensive although some airports including London City airport are yet to introduce charges.
Here are the current costs that airports charge to drop off at the front of the airport:
- London Heathrow - £5 drop off fee
- London Gatwick - £5 drop off fee
- London Luton - £5 drop off fee
- London Stansted - £7 drop off fee
- Manchester - £5 drop off fee
- Bristol - £5 drop off fee
- Birmingham - £3 drop off fee
- East Midlands - £4 drop of fee
- Edinburgh - £4 drop off fee
- Glasgow - £4 drop off fee
- London City - free
- Cardiff - free
- Norwich - free
Many of them also have a maximum time you are allowed to stay there, ranging from 10 minutes to an hour.
Break the rules and you could be fined up to £100.
To avoid the pricy drop off charges, passengers can instead head to the car parks which are a short walk or a free shuttle bus to the terminal.
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Here are the best ways to save money and avoid being stung at each of the airports:
- London Heathrow - Free drop off at long stay car park with free shuttle bus to the terminal
- London Gatwick - Free drop off at long stay car park with free shuttle bus to the terminal
- London Luton - Free drop off at mid stay car park with 600m walk to the terminal
- London Stansted - Free drop off at mid stay car park with short walk to the terminal
- Manchester - Free drop off at JetParks 1 with a free shuttle bus to the terminal
- Bristol - Free drop off at the Silver Zone car park
- Birmingham - Free drop off the Drop Off zone with short walk to the terminal
- East Midlands - Free drop off at long stay car park with free shuttle bus to the terminal
- Edinburgh - Free drop off at long stay car park with short walk to the terminal
- Glasgow -Free drop off at long stay car park with free shuttle bus to the terminal
If you fancy driving, here are the best airport car parking discounts for every trip and budget.
To save even more money, here are the 10 things you should never buy at the airport, due to the prices being much higher.
We've also rounded up everything you need to know about duty free shopping post-pandemic.
