The government is set to review 'out of control' airport drop-off fees after the House of Lords forced a re-examination of the charges, with one major airport charging £1 per minute for dropping off passengers.
Current Charges at Major Airports
Most major UK airports charge motorists for dropping off or picking up passengers outside the terminal. Gatwick Airport charges £1 per minute, Heathrow charges £7 per entry, and Manchester charges £6.50 for 10 minutes. All three offer free drop-off services further from the terminal with shuttle buses.
Lords Force Government Action
Liberal Democrat and Conservative Lords refused to back the Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill, sending it back to the House of Commons and forcing the government to conduct a review of the charges. Shadow transport minister Lord Moylan accused airports of raising fees with 'great enthusiasm', insisting a review was needed to examine the impact on users.
Lord Moylan told the House of Lords on Monday that drop-off fees are particularly damaging for families, older, and disabled passengers who 'do not have a realistic alternative to being dropped off at the terminal'. He stated: 'The Government has gone some way to improve protections for disabled passengers in aviation. But it's no good strengthening rights inside the airport while supporting surface access policies that make it harder and more expensive for disabled passengers or those assisting them to get to the terminal in the first place.'
Former UUP Leader Calls Fees 'Out of Control'
Former UUP leader Lord Empey described the fees as 'out of control', arguing ministers need to step in. He said: 'The fundamental point is that this is now a revenue stream that didn't exist a relatively short period of time ago. It's rapidly increasing, and it will continue to increase either because the airports feel it is a way of making money, or because some people think policies – that we force people away from the drop-off and onto public transport – that has its own advantages. But that only applies in limited cases, and it is certainly not universally spread around the country.'
Liberal Democrats Support Review
Baroness Grender of the Liberal Democrats also offered her party's support, saying airport users are captured and have no means of shopping around for cheaper parking.
Government Position
However, transport minister Lord Hendy insisted the fees are already subject to consumer protection law. He added the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has previously found 'insufficient evidence' to justify an investigation. He said: 'Their arrangements are already subject to consumer protection law, competition law, and industry standards, with enforcement and redress where practices are misleading, unfair, or non-compliant. There are also established mechanisms to review airport drop-off charges where concerns arise, the CAA has already examined airport surface access, including competition, consumer issues, and the transparency of information options and charges, and found insufficient evidence to justify a competition or consumer law investigation.'
Broader Bill Provisions
The rest of the Bill will give ministers the power to set new rules around when aircraft can take off and land, what airlines have to do when someone's luggage goes missing, and price transparency. It will also give authorities new powers to fine airlines which fail to look after disabled people.
