The cost of dropping off friends and family has reached a record high with fees increased at seven UK airports.

Many airports offer free or cheaper short-term parking further away from the terminal

New RAC analysis published ahead of the school summer holidays reveals four major airports have increased drop-off charges by £1 compared to 2023. These include London Gatwick (£6 for 10 minutes), Edinburgh (£5 for 10 minutes), Birmingham (£5 for 15 minutes) and Bristol (£6 for 10 minutes). Meanwhile, three – Glasgow, Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen – have put prices up by 50p since last year. Fortunately, nine airports have frozen their prices this year.

Just three airports out of the top 20 in the UK – London City, Cardiff and Inverness – retain free drop-off zones. And while dropping off for up to 20 minutes at London Luton is currently free in its Mid Stay Car Park – after last October’s fire forced the closure of the airport’s Drop Off Zone – the terminal is a 10-minute walk or shuttle bus ride from the terminal building. Last year, Luton charged £5 for 10 minutes in its drop-off zone.

London Stansted remains the most expensive airport for dropping off despite not increasing its fees this year. It charges £7 for up to 15 minutes, the equivalent of 47p a minute.

Leeds Bradford is a close second, charging £6.50 for 10 minutes, with London Gatwick and Bristol the third most expensive, both making drivers pay £6 for up to 10 minutes. Glasgow and Aberdeen both charge £5.50 for 15 minutes.

Manchester charges the most on a cost-per-minute basis, coming out at £5 for just a five-minute stay – way ahead of the next priciest per minute, which is Leeds Bradford. It charges the equivalent of 65p per minute (£6.50 for 10 minutes).

The RAC research also found 81% of drivers who have used drop-off bays in the last 12 months describe the charges as a ‘rip-off’, with 71% believing all airports should offer free drop-offs. Just one in 10 (13%) say they understand why airports charge what they do.

And while some airports claim high drop-off fees encourage public transport use, separate RAC research indicates otherwise. Nearly four in 10 (37%) of those who have dropped someone off say there is no feasible public transport alternative, while a further 34% say the public transport options on offer are too unreliable. The overwhelming reason for driving and dropping off for six in 10 drivers (59%) is the impracticality of travelling with lots of luggage on public transport.

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “It’s depressing, if perhaps unsurprising given what’s happened in the past, to see seven airports have hiked their drop-off charges once again this year. To have to pay £5, £6 or even £7 for the briefest of stops to simply open the boot and take some luggage out for a friend or loved one is bordering on the ridiculous.

“Increased charges at airports that have relatively poor public transport access – for instance, no direct rail or tram link – also seems pretty unreasonable. Some airports say the reason they charge for drop-offs at all is to discourage people from driving in the first place, but if the alternatives are non-existent, expensive or unreliable then what choice do people really have?”

The RAC also spotlighted that those visiting London Heathrow or Gatwick can’t now pay the drop-off charge in-person at either airport. Instead, they need to pay online using the official airport website or by phone.

Williams added: “For anyone having to drop off this summer, we strongly urge them to keep their goodbyes extremely short so they don’t stay a moment longer than they’re paying for.

“It’s also worth remembering that many airports offer free or cheaper short-term parking further away from the terminal. This might be significantly less convenient, but it does save money.”