A driver has warned travellers about parking charges at Bristol Airport after getting fined £100 for stopping for only two minutes. Nancy Connolly was travelling to Dublin on a flight that only cost her £20, when she was slapped with the hefty fine.
"The days when you could just pull up outside and drop someone off have well and truly gone," she wrote on Somerset Live. "I even remember a time when a nice parking man looked after my car at the front door while I helped my elderly mother into the terminal."
A friend had offered to drop Nancy off at the airport, which attracts thousands of Welsh travellers every week. They had gone in Nancy's car, but stopped within the grounds of the airport to swap places.
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She said: "When we got to the entrance I stopped to hand over the driving to my friend, I got out of the car briefly so she could take over and that's when the cameras spotted me. And if I'm being honest I was trying to avoid the fee for just dropping off, we are all human. Wrong move. I was fined £100 right there, what's worse is that my flight was only £20."
There are signs at the airport explaining the that you will be fined for stopping, and car park charges have also increased to £5 just to drop someone off - even if you are only there for a few minutes. The charges in the short and long-term car parks have also gone up.
Nancy says: "The new charges have been there for some time, but many people have not travelled for a long time and may not be aware. My fine was for 'stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited'. Couldn't be more clear. I get it, I was wrong to stop where I did, or to stop at all, and there are signs. It is just good to be forewarned as the charges are very heavy.
"We appreciate the airport needs to make money after the pandemic which was devastating to its business, I just want to warn people who may not have travelled in a while there are big changes afoot in the friendly little airport where it was always such a joy to begin your holiday. So don't stop, even for a minute or two. You are on camera and they are watching you."
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