Taxi Driver Online

Greedy ba*****s.

Gatwick Airport drop-off charge rises to £10

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kdd71lxnvo

Gatwick Airport is increasing the price of its drop-off zones by £3, bringing the minimum charge to £10.

The fee to allow drivers to stop outside the terminal for 10 minutes is to increase on 6 January.

The airport said the increase was "not a decision we have taken lightly" and blamed "a number of increasing costs, including a more than doubling of our business rates".

Rod Dennis, RAC senior policy officer, said: "The words 'Happy New Year' are unlikely to be uttered by drivers dropping off friends and family at Gatwick in January."

He added: "A more than 40% increase in the cost to drop-off is the largest we've ever seen and represents a doubling of the fee since it first came in."

Southend Airport charges £7 for drop-off of up to five minutes, but that increases to £15 for between five and thirty minutes.

A drop-off fee of £5 was introduced at Gatwick in March 2021.

That increased to £6 in 2024, with the cost rising again to £7 in May.

A Gatwick spokesperson said: "This increase in the drop-off charge is not a decision we have taken lightly, however, we are facing a number of increasing costs, including a more than doubling of our business rates.

"The increase in the drop-off charge will support wider efforts to encourage greater use of public transport, helping limit the number of cars and reduce congestion at the entrance to our terminals, alongside funding a number of sustainable transport initiatives."

They added that passengers can be dropped off without charge in long-stay car parks and catch a free shuttle bus to terminals.

Blue Badge holders remain exempt from the charge.

A government spokesperson said: "Airports are responsible for setting their own parking terms but must follow consumer law and justify their charges.

"We're delivering a £4.3bn support package to cap business rates bill increases at 30% before other reliefs for the largest properties, including airports.

"Without intervention those would be up to 500%."

Drop-off fees are also rising at Heathrow from 1 January from £6 to £7.

London City, the UK's last major airport without a drop-off fee, is to introduce one later this month.

Out of mainland Europe's biggest 10 airports, only one, Schiphol in Amsterdam, charges to drop-off, according to RAC research.

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IDFIMH

Usual pish about an *airport* trying to save the environment by reducing congestion and encouraging 'sustainable transport initiatives'.

And what's the betting the rest of them will now edge up towards a tenner per drop

And, I mean, Sussex will be paying at least £50 per day in airport drop charges now

Unlike yours truly, who goes weeks without visiting our local airport, namely EDI (which is 50 miles away, but that's the nearest and by far the most used international airport from St Andrews).

But did I ever mention the time recently that I managed to wangle a free drop at EDI?

Or at least I hope it was free, rather than being 'fined' hundreds of pounds. But we'll see

They have got two weeks to inform you of any naughtiness.

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IDFIMH

Of course, building an extra runway with 1000s of extra plane movements a year will help the environment no end.

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IDFIMH

hmmm... Don't they have a new runway to pay for ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Or it appears that we have a new runway to pay for.

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IDFIMH