How Can You Avoid Hefty Drop-Off Parking Charges at Airports?
If you keep up to date with the latest travel news, you may very well be familiar with what’s known as the ‘Kiss and Fly’ charge. This is the name that’s been given to drop-off parking charges, which have soared in recent months at some of the UK’s biggest airports. We’ve all done it before, haven’t we? We’ve arranged to have a friend or relative drop us off at the airport so that we didn’t have to shell out for long-stay parking or public transport. Well, long gone are those days, as this recent item by ITV News reports. While many UK airports now have charges for drop-off parking in place, within the last year, prices at a number of them have also increased. With Manchester Airport coming out as the worst offender, charging £4 for up to 10 minutes or £25 for anything over this, we took a gander at some of the other airports across the country to see how they compare. Check out our infographic below to see exactly which airports are taking the ‘Kiss and Fly’ charge to the extremes:
Pretty shocking right? If you’re reading this and think “for that I may as well park at the airport myself!” we can help you there. In addition to housing plenty of discounts for your favourite retailers, we have a fair few savings to be had in this area too. We have plenty of deals to help you get a reduced price on your airport parking, like our Looking4Parking voucher codes and our SkyParkSecure promo codes, both of which could save you up to 30% on your booking. Alternatively, if you still choose to be dropped off, there may also be another way for you to avoid those drop-off parking charges. What some airports don’t easily advertise is that it’s possible to be dropped off for free, provided you go to a certain car park or area. So, as we’re all about saving you a few quid, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to!
The Worst Offenders: Manchester, London Stansted & Bournemouth
We’ve already mentioned that Manchester Airport achieved top ranking when it came to the most expensive, but London Stansted and Bournemouth Airports both followed closely. London Stansted charges £4 for up to 10 minutes, while it’ll cost you £25 for a 15 minute stay. If you’re flying from Bournemouth however, you’ll be charged £35 for a 30 minute stay!
Are There Free Alternatives?
If you fly from Manchester or London Stansted, yes. Unfortunately, if you travel from Bournemouth, there is no free-drop off zone at all.
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Manchester Airport has a free drop off area with a shuttle bus to the terminal.
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London Stansted allows free parking for up to an hour in their mid-stay car park, which has a free shuttle bus, just a 5 minute journey from the terminal.
The Inbetween: Luton, Birmingham, Liverpool & Glasgow
At the middle of the scale were these four. Luton Airport have a fee of £3 for a 10 minute stay, charging £1 per minute thereafter, while Liverpool charge £3 for up to 20 minutes. If you choose to fly from Birmingham, you’ll pay £3 for 15 minutes, however a 30 minute stay will set you back £18. While Glasgow is a little more generous in the short term, charging £2 for 15 minutes, you may change your tune when you hear that they charge a whopping £45 for up to an hour. Not the best way to start your holidays, right?
Are There Free Alternatives?
Thankfully, yes. All four of these airports have options for free drop off zones a little further from the terminal.
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Luton Airport allow free drop-off in their mid-term car park, and there’s a free shuttle bus taking 5 minutes to the terminal.
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Birmingham Airport has a drop-off car park that’s a 5 to 10 minute walk from the terminal, and allows you to park for up to 30 minutes free of charge.
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Liverpool offer a generous 40 minutes for free in their drop-off car park, that’s a 10 minute walk to the terminal.
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Glasgow Airport allows free drop-off in their long-stay car park, and you can park for up to 30 minutes. They also have a shuttle bus that will take you to the main terminal.
The Slightly Cheaper: Aberdeen, Newcastle & Edinburgh
These airports all appeared slightly better off than their predecessors, with both Aberdeen and Newcastle Airports charging £2 for up to 10 minutes. However, for up to an hour, you’ll pay £7 for this at Newcastle, and an eye watering £30 at Aberdeen! Not great if you have a few goodbyes to say, that’s for sure! Choosing to fly from Edinburgh also makes you a little pressed for time too, as £2 will get you just a 5 minute stay, or you can pay £15 for an hour. I think I’ll say my goodbyes before I leave the house…
Are There Free Alternatives?
Again, all of these airports have free parking options if you’re willing to be dropped off a little further away.
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Aberdeen Airport will allow you to park for free for up to 15 minutes in their long-stay car park. There’s a free shuttle bus that will take you to the terminal.
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You can get up to 15 minutes free in Newcastle’s ‘Short Stay 2’ car park, which is just a 2 minute walk to the terminal.
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Edinburgh Airport’s long stay car park allows 10 minutes free, and you can get to the terminal via the shuttle bus.
The Better of the Bunch: East Midlands, Southampton, Belfast & Bristol
Getting towards the more pleasant end of the spectrum were these four. East Midlands Airport charges £2 for a 5 minute stay, and £1 per minute after, which in theory should be plenty of time for a quick drop-off. Southampton appear much more generous however, charging just £2 for 15 minutes. Those flying from Belfast will also get a better deal, as you’ll pay just £1 for a 10 minute stay. However, make sure you don’t go over an hour, otherwise you’ll be needing to shell out £35! Bristol came in nearing the top for their drop-offs, as they charged £1 for under 10 minutes. Their longer stay charge was also the most reasonable of the bunch, where you can park for up to an hour for £6. Still rather hefty, but it’s definitely an improvement.
Are There Free Alternatives?
Bristol don’t offer a free alternative for passengers getting dropped off, however given their charges are lower than a number of their competitors, this isn’t surprising. The other three airports in this category however, all offered free options.
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East Midlands Airport allow up to an hour’s free parking in their ‘Long Stay 1’ car park, which is a 5 minute bus journey to the terminal.
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You can stay for 30 minutes free of charge in the long-stay car park at Southampton Airport, which has a free shuttle bus.
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Belfast Airport offer free drop off in their long-stay car park for up to 15 minutes, which is a 6 minute walk to the terminal.
Who Came Out on Top?
While having to pay a drop-off parking charge isn’t exactly a good thing in the first place, one airport clearly had the best value for money, and that was Exeter. They offer a generous 30 minutes for just £1, and that’s it. You can even park for free in their ‘Car Park 4’, for up to 10 minutes, and catch their free shuttle bus to the terminal.
So are there any airports that actually don’t take on the ‘Kiss and Fly’ charge? Surprisingly, there are. Cardiff, Norwich and Inverness Airports allow 10 minutes of free parking for drop-off and collections. The main London based airports, namely Gatwick, London City and Heathrow, also allow 10 minutes of free parking, however this is for drop-offs only.
So there you have it. It appears that for the sake of a couple minutes’ walk or a few minutes’ bus journey, we can avoid being stung by hefty drop-off parking charges.
Posted by Amy Jackson - 21st August 2019