Luton and Stansted among highest risers for airport parking fees
More than half of the UK’s biggest airports have pushed up parking prices for drivers picking up friends or family members this summer, according to new analysis.
The research found that London Luton Airport is the most expensive in the UK, with parking costs at £8 for a maximum 30 minute stay, a rise from the £7 charge last year for 40 minutes of parking.
Stansted airport was also found to have raised their prices by 50p in the last year, with motorists facing an initial charge of £5.50 for a stay of up to half an hour, followed by Birmingham where the fee is £5.10 for stopping for up to an hour.
Read more: This UK airport is introducing drop-off charges to cut congestion
The most expensive airports for short-term parking
1. London Luton – £8 for 30 minutes
2. London Stansted – £5.50 for 30 minutes
3. Birmingham – £5.10 for an hour
4. Edinburgh – £4 for 15 minutes
5. London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester – £4 for 30 minutes
The drop-off and pick-up zone fees at Luton stand at £3 for 10 minutes, with charges rising by £1 for each further minute, while dropping a passenger off at Stansted costs £3.50 for 10 minutes, rising £25 in the next 15 minutes.
Read more: Delays caused by Luton sigalling outage to last throughout day
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “As we enter the summer holiday season, the UK’s airports are about to see some of their busiest weeks of the year. With thousands of motorists driving to airports to pick up and drop off friends and family members many will unfortunately find themselves shocked by some of the extortionate parking tariffs operated by some airports.”
Dennis added: “Our advice is to check parking fees and time limits well before setting out for an airport this summer so as to avoid a nasty shock.”
However, a spokesperson for Luton Airport told City A.M. that the RAC had been “selective in the information that they are sharing”.
The spokesperson said: “It is disappointing to see the RAC has chosen to misrepresent facts to our passengers in this way. Our set down area can be used by drivers either picking up or dropping off with a charge of £3 for 10 minutes – 98 per cent of passengers who use this service stay for 10 minutes or less. We also offer two hours free parking in our long-term car park and 15 minutes free in our mid-stay car park.”