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Motorists face ‘sky high’ airport drop-off charges over summer

At the time, the airport said passengers could still be dropped off for an hour at its long-stay auto park for free and take a bus to the terminal, which is about five minutes away.

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It follows a RAC survey which shows Edinburgh Airport charges £3.90 to park for 15 minutes.

Manchester Airport was the stand-out performer with +10% year-on-year growth, as more than 2.8 million passengers travelled in July.

East Midlands and Edinburgh airport charge motorists 20p per minute to drop off passengers (£2 for 10 minutes and £1 for five minutes, respectively).

Birmingham does not have a drop-off area and charges £4.70 to park for up to 60 minutes.

It found drivers may also be penalised for overstaying the time limit in drop-off zones.

The charge puts the airport third in a list of the country’s 20 main airports compiled by motoring organisation the RAC.

But East Midlands is not as expensive as London Luton Airport which charges £3 for 10 minutes and £1 a minute thereafter.

It is warning motorists to check parking fees before they set out to pick up relatives or friends.

“Non-aeronautical income, such as income from parking, allows airports to keep charges to airlines low, benefiting travellers through lower airfares and increased connectivity”, it said in a statement.

Pete Williams, RAC head of external affairs, told the BBC Scotland news website: “It would be popular with motorists if Edinburgh Airport was to review its charges”.

‘Drivers are running the risk of incurring some hefty charges if they drive to a pick-up zone to collect somebody whose flight is delayed or who has to wait a long time at baggage reclaim.

In these cases, they are much better finding another, more affordable airport auto park.

Six of the country’s busiest airports do still offer some free parking options, however these are often in less convenient locations, much further from the arrivals hall.

“In a bid to manage traffic flows and ensure all passengers can access the airport easily we charge passengers to use the drop-off zone outside the terminal which can be used for both picking up and dropping off passengers”, he said.

Amanda McMillan, chief executive of AGS Airports and managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “July is traditionally our busiest month, but to exceed the one million passenger mark is yet another significant achievement for Glasgow Airport in a year filled with milestones”.

Glasgow Airport recorded its best passenger numbers in a decade in July with 1,018,433 people having passed through its terminals.

Parking close to Stansted Airport’s terminal costs £4.50 for 30 minutes, while Edinburgh Airport charges £3.90 for just 15 minutes, equivalent to £0.26 per minute, more than the price of a mobile phone call from Europe back to the UK.

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“The high parking fees at some London airports could perhaps be explained by the fact passengers have more opportunities for getting there by public transport”.

Rip off fees for parking near airports mean drivers are being charged the equivalent of up to 30p a minute to drop off or pick up loved-ones an investigation has revealed