The briefest of stops can cost friends or loved ones dear
19:19, 18 Jul 2025Updated 19:20, 18 Jul 2025
The departures terminal at Cardiff Airport(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
The cost to drop off passengers at the airport at the main two airports serving Welsh holidaymakers have been compared to some major European hotspots, and the results may surprise you. Cardiff Airport introduced drop-off fees this year for the first time, costing £3 for 10 minutes.
At Bristol Airport, it costs £7 for 10 minutes, a rise from the £6 it cost in 2024. This can be compared to the cost to drop off passengers at major European airports, including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Madrid Barajas, Frankfurt, Barcelona El Prat, Rome Flumicino, Munich, Lisbon, Dublin, and Palma de Mallorca, where it is completely free of charge.
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “The sky really does seem to be the limit when it comes to the amount drivers get charged for making the briefest of stops to let friends or loved ones out to catch a flight.
“The seemingly annual ritual of many airports hiking the cost of drop-offs is unfortunately continuing unabated.
“Airports understandably need to manage the often-limited on-site space they have. We also know some still offer short stay free parking, but the problem is it’s often well away from the terminal.
“If a driver wants to help a passenger with mobility issues or a lot of bags get to the terminal, they’ll often end up overstaying the ‘free’ period offered and getting charged.
“Drivers also need to be aware of the growing trend of airports dispensing with on-site payment in favour of introducing barrier-less drop-offs that require payment online or by phone later.
“This is another source of frustration for people who in many cases are just trying to help a family member or friend get to the airport. Anyone who doesn’t notice the change or simply forgets to pay will inevitably be stung with a very unwelcome parking charge notice.
“The main reason drivers drop off at airports, according to our research, is to help people with bulky and often heavy luggage.
“This is understandable when the alternative to the car is often either a conventional bus, which can be impractical with lots of cases, or a costly taxi – with fares for the latter subject to the same drop-off fees that drivers need to pay.
“It’s also revealing that the tendency to charge drivers to drop close to terminals isn’t something that’s repeated right across Europe, with major airports like Paris Charles de Gaulle, Barcelona and Rome, as well as those popular with holidaymakers such as Nice and Marseilles, all still offering free ‘kiss and fly’ drop-off zones.”
The RAC states that of the 11 airports in the UK that have increased their prices since last year, Belfast City’s rise is the steepest with charges going up by a third (now £4 for ten minutes, up from £3 last year), followed by Newcastle (now £5 for 10 minutes, up from £4 last year).
It says London Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Liverpool all upped their drop-off fees by £1, or 20%, and now charge £6 for between 10 and 20 minutes, up from £5 last year.
The remaining five airports that put their prices up are London Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton, which now all charge the top rate of £7 for dropping off, and Glasgow which increased its fee by 50p to £6 for 15 minutes.
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