Now more than ever, travelers nationwide are being affected, as more than half of Britain’s busiest airports have raised their “kiss-and-fly” fees. According to an analysis by the RAC, it’s an unprecedented move, with 11 of the 20 largest UK airports hiking charges since last July. This reversal occurs as the aviation industry continues to struggle mightily due to impacts caused by the pandemic.
Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Southampton and Stansted have all recently introduced £7 ‘drop off’ fees for drivers who want to drop passengers near their respective terminals. This increase in cost follows a larger national trend happening at airports around the country. By comparison, Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands has held a €2.50 (£2.17) charge for comparable services for years.
Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Liverpool have increased their “kiss-and-fly” charges. Charge to use the new timed charging zones has increased from £5 to £6 for trips between 10 and 20 minutes. Surprisingly, London City Airport is the last large airport without “kiss-and-fly” fees.
Unfortunately, not all airports provide extra care for passengers with disabilities. Leeds Bradford airport allows Blue Badge holders an extra 60 minutes in the pick-up and drop-off zone. You can make full use of this for the usual fee of £7. Moreover, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Liverpool and Southampton waive the “kiss-and-fly” fees completely for Blue Badge holders.
The rationale for such fee increases is mostly focused on traffic congestion mitigation and environmental impacts. As Karen Dee, chief executive of Airports UK, recently put it,
“Where fees are charged, this helps airports manage and reduce congestion, noise, carbon emissions and air pollution for local communities, something that they are mandated to do by the Government and local authorities.”
Gatwick officials were careful to emphasize that these charges are aimed at discouraging vehicle counts at terminal curbfronts. They use this strategy to fund more sustainable transport priorities. A spokesperson for Gatwick stated,
“The drop off charge helps to limit the number of cars and reduces congestion at the entrance to our terminals and funds a number of sustainable transport initiatives.”