Airport drop-off fees up by a third – here are the priciest

Airports want more people to come by train and bus.

When Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved plans for Gatwick’s second runway, it was essential that 54% of passengers use public transport.

Heathrow may also need to take action to discourage people from driving to reach a third runway.

A spokesman for London Gatwick said drop-off charges were aimed at discouraging “kiss-and-fly” trips and data showed they were “leading passengers to seek alternative options”.

They said the airport connects to 120 train stations in London and the south-east and has eight local bus routes operating 24/7.

They said passengers can be dropped off for free in long-term parking lots, taken to the terminal by a free shuttle bus, and that Blue Card holders are exempt from the fee.

A spokesman for Airports UK said that where drop-off charges were levied, these charges were “necessary to manage congestion, traffic and air pollution concerns of our local communities, as well as our climate change targets”.

“These are matters for which airports should be managed by the government and local authorities,” they said.

But Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said the fees were increasing costs for businesses.

“Environmental first [reasons]. Then congestion management. Then finance new routes. “Now it seems it’s about balancing tax increases,” he said.

“The goalposts have been moved so many times that the credibility of any justification has long since disappeared.”