![\"Outside](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_RGP_MSM_240721Cardiff_02.jpg\")
The departures terminal at Cardiff Airport(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\nThe briefest of stops can cost friends or loved ones dear<\/p>\n
19:19, 18 Jul 2025Updated 19:20, 18 Jul 2025<\/p>\n
The departures terminal at Cardiff Airport(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n
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 \u00a33 for 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
At Bristol Airport, it costs \u00a37 for 10 minutes, a rise from the \u00a36 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.<\/p>\n
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
“The seemingly annual ritual of many airports hiking the cost of drop-offs is unfortunately continuing unabated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAirports 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\u2019s often well away from the terminal.<\/p>\n
“If a driver wants to help a passenger with mobility issues or a lot of bags get to the terminal, they\u2019ll often end up overstaying the \u2018free\u2019 period offered and getting charged.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers 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.<\/p>\n
“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\u2019t notice the change or simply forgets to pay will inevitably be stung with a very unwelcome parking charge notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main reason drivers drop off at airports, according to our research, is to help people with bulky and often heavy luggage.<\/p>\n
“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 \u2013 with fares for the latter subject to the same drop-off fees that drivers need to pay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also revealing that the tendency to charge drivers to drop close to terminals isn\u2019t something that\u2019s 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 \u2018kiss and fly\u2019 drop-off zones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The RAC states that of the 11 airports in the UK that have increased their prices since last year, Belfast City\u2019s rise is the steepest with charges going up by a third (now \u00a34 for ten minutes, up from \u00a33 last year), followed by Newcastle (now \u00a35 for 10 minutes, up from \u00a34 last year).<\/p>\n
It says London Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Liverpool all upped their drop-off fees by \u00a31, or 20%, and now charge \u00a36 for between 10 and 20 minutes, up from \u00a35 last year.<\/p>\n
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 \u00a37 for dropping off, and Glasgow which increased its fee by 50p to \u00a36 for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
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