Birmingham Airport passengers warned as drop off fees increase by 25% in one year

It now costs £5 to enter the Premium Set Down area for the first 15 minutes. This is 25% more than last year’s fee and increases by a further £5 for every additional 5 minutes spent in the drop-off zone.

The research was conducted by the travel experts at hoppa, who revealed that one in three major UK airports have raised their drop-off charges by up to 25% in the past year alone.

120","classid":1073872969,"properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"5",201342448,"3",201342449,"1",469777841,"aptos",469777842,"arial",469777843,"ｍｓ="" 明朝",469777844,"aptos",201341986,"1",469769226,"aptos,arial,ｍｓ="" 明朝",268442635,"22",469775450,"normaltextrun",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"normaltextrun",335572020,"1",469778324,"default="" paragraph="" font"]">Of the 24 major airports that were analysed, eight have increased their minimum drop of fees in 2024:

1. Edinburgh – now £5 for the first 10 minutes (up 25%)

1. Birmingham – now £5 for the first 15 minutes (up 25%)

1. Bristol – now £6 for up to 10 minutes (up 20%)

1. Gatwick – now £6 for 10 minutes (up 20%)

1. Leeds Bradford – now £7 (the joint most expensive in the UK) for 10 minutes (up 17%)

1. Glasgow Prestwick – now £4 for the first hour (up 14%)

1. Aberdeen – now £5.50 for 15 minutes (up 10%)

1. Glasgow – now £5.50 for 15 minutes (up 10%)

Overall, Stansted, which serviced just shy of 28 million passengers in 2023, remains the UK’s most expensive airport for drop-off charges at £7.

However, the airport now shares the top spot with Leeds Bradford, which saw nearly four million passengers go through its terminal in 2023 and also charges £7. Electric Vehicle drivers can avoid this fee though as they are allowed to use the Pick Up & Drop Off car park for up to 1 hour free of charge.

In third place, Bristol airport visitors also have to pay £6 to drop passenger off, which increases to £8 after the first ten minutes. The South West airport raised its prices by 20% compared to last year.

The vast majority of airports (18 of the 24) now charge a minimum of £5 for entry into their drop-off zone, including the most popular ones like Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.

However, some drivers will need to rush more than others. At Manchester Airport for example, the initial fare increases after just five minutes of waiting in the designated ‘drop off zone’.

Meanwhile at Exeter airport, people have up to 30 minutes to say their goodbyes and get all their luggage out of the vehicle.

Currently, there are only two airports which offer free parking for drop-offs close to the Terminals: Cardiff and London City. However, Cardiff’s drop-off zone is only free for the first five minutes.

Cheapest UK airports for drop-off in 2024:

1. London City - Free

1. Cardiff - Free for the first 5 minutes, £3 thereafter

1. Belfast City - £3 for the first 10 minutes

1. Belfast International - £3 for the first 10 minutes

1. Glasgow Prestwick - £4 for up to 60 minutes

The third and fourth cheapest airports are both located in the Northern Irish capital, with Belfast International and Belfast City both charging a minimum of £3. However, this has more than doubled from just £1 in 2022.

Ranking as the 5th cheapest airport, Glasgow Prestwick offers a better initial drop-off rate (£4) than the much larger Glasgow Airport (£5.50).

Matthew Hall, Managing Director at hoppa said: “Drop-off charges can add a hefty amount to the cost of your holiday before it has even begun.

Most UK airports now enforce a charge for dropping passengers off close to the Terminals, and penalties for not adhering to these are very costly.

It is easy to overstay the minimum time allowances when saying your goodbyes, which can add a hefty sum on top of the parking charge.

However, many airports also offer free parking options at their mid- or long-stay car parks, so it is always worth checking on their official website before dropping someone off.

Alternatively, you can avoid these drop-off charges altogether by using public transport or booking an advance airport transfer.”