East Midlands Airport is in the top 10 most expensive for dropping off holidaymakers in the UK. The airport has however defended its policy of charging people who drop off passengers at the terminal.
The airport, just off the M1 motorway, was named among the top 10 most expensive airports to drop off holidaymakers in the UK. This is according to research from the motoring group RAC that says 16 out of the 22 airports it looked into have introduced or raised the charges in the past three years.
Stanstead Airport came out as the most expensive, charging so-called "kiss and fly" passengers £7 for 15 minutes, an increase from £4 for 10 minutes in 2019. East Midlands Airport is currently one of eight airports that charge £5 for 15 minutes according to Derbyshire Live.
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The owner of the airport says it "encourages car users not to dwell outside the terminal". Other airports to charge £5 for rapid drop-offs include Heathrow and Gatwick.
At Manchester Airport, drivers have just five minutes to pull up, drop off their loved ones and unload their bags from the boot before they have to pay more than the £5 initial fee.
The RAC claims drivers will be "stunned" by the "sky-high" fees. RAC head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “Anyone dropping a loved one off at the terminal this summer will be stunned by some of these sky-high, kiss-and-drop charges.
“And for those using the UK’s two busiest airports, the luxury of free drop-offs outside the terminal building has been replaced by some pretty high fees. Minute-for-minute and pound-for-pound, some of these charges could almost be as high as the airfare itself.”
A spokesperson for East Midlands Airport defended its car parking pricing. He said: "East Midlands Airport (EMA) has a range of parking options to suit the needs of passengers whether they are going away for short breaks, family holidays or longer stays.
“Like most airports in the UK, EMA charges a fee for the convenience of dropping passengers off at the front door to the terminal. This aims to reduce the number of vehicles travelling around the busiest area of our campus and to encourage people to consider more sustainable transport options, such as the Skylink bus service, which runs 24 hours a day.
“At EMA, rapid drop-off is £5 for 15 mins, which is in line with the price charged by other airports and encourages car users not to dwell outside the terminal. Drivers also have a choice of parking options at EMA when dropping off or collecting passengers including 30 minutes in Short Stay 1 for £6 and one hour’s free parking in Long Stay 2.”
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