There’s been a story floating around the wires this week, with the RAC publishing a story on the cost of dropping off someone at a UK airport (and the prices going up).
With nearly all charging for the privilege, there’s a little more to the story. Let’s investigate.
It costs to get this close to a passenger drop-off area. And someone has to pay – Terminal 5 Drop-off area.
What are you REALLY paying for a paid airport drop-off?
Convenience – pure and simple.
You’re paying to be dropped off as close to the entrance to the terminal as possible, with enough time to grab your bags, say your farewells, before any extra charges start to hit, then getting into the terminal building.
Why are airports charging to drop off/pick up passengers
Three reasons come to mind:
- They’re “encouraging” you to make a modal shift to public transport and thus reduce congestion in the terminal area
- It’s on their green agenda to reduce the number of cars in the central airport areas
- It’s an easy way to make money and recover the costs of running an airport
I’ll let you choose the reason you want to believe.
The RAC’s Data
Let’s first review the RAC’s data, which is presented here. Their data is based on the busiest airports in the United Kingdom in 2024, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, ranked by the cost of drop-off. We have added 2026’s data too so you can see those wonderful ever-climbing prices.
| Airport | 2026 Initial Cost | Time allowed | Increase since 2025 | 2025 initial cost | 2024 initial cost | Increase since 2024 | Drop-off area |
| London Gatwick | £10 | 10 mins | £3 | £7.00 | £6.00 | £1.00 | Directly outside terminals |
| London Stansted | £10 | 15 mins | £3 | £7.00 | £7.00 | £0.00 | Express Set Down |
| Bristol | £8.50 | 10 mins | £1.50 | £7.00 | £6.00 | £1.00 | New Drop & Go car park, adjacent to terminal |
| Leeds Bradford | £8 | 10 mins | £1 | £7.00 | £6.50 | £0.50 | Pick Up & Drop Off car park, outside terminal |
| Southampton | £7 | 20 mins | £0 | £7.00 | £6.00 | £1.00 | Pick up and Drop Off, one minute from terminal |
| London Heathrow | £7 | £1 | £6.00 | £5.00 | £1.00 | Directly outside terminals | |
| Edinburgh | £8.50 | 10 mins | £1.50 | £6.00 | £5.00 | £1.00 | Ground floor of the multi-storey car park, outside terminal building |
| Birmingham | £7 | 15 mins | £1 | £6.00 | £5.00 | £1.00 | Premium Set Down, directly outside the terminal |
| Glasgow | £7 | 15 mins | £1 | £6.00 | £5.50 | £0.50 | Express Pick Up & Drop Off, outside terminal |
| Liverpool John Lennon | £6.00 | 10 mins | – | £6.00 | £5.00 | £1.00 | Express Drop-off, opposite terminal |
| Aberdeen | £7 | 15 mins | £1.50 | £5.50 | £5.50 | £0.00 | Express Drop-off, outside terminal |
| Manchester | £5.50 | 5 mins | £0.50 | £5.00 | £5.00 | £0.00 | Directly outside terminals |
| London Luton | £7 | 5 mins | £2 | £5.00 | n/a | n/a | Express Drop Off |
| Newcastle | £6.00 | 10 mins | £1 | £5.00 | £4.00 | £1.00 | Express car park, outside terminal |
| East Midlands | £5 | 15 mins | – | £5.00 | £5.00 | £0.00 | Rapid Drop Off, in front of terminal |
| Bournemouth | £5.00 | 30 mins | £5.00 | £5.00 | £0.00 | Premium Car Park 1 (CP1), opposite terminal | |
| Belfast City | £4.00 | 10 mins | £4.00 | £3.00 | £1.00 | Express Drop Off and Pick Up, three minutes from terminal | |
| Belfast International | £5 | 10 mins | £2 | £3.00 | £3.00 | £0.00 | Drop Off Zone, adjacent to terminal |
| Cardiff Wales | £4.50 | 10 mins | £1.50 | £3.00 | £0.00 | £3.00 | Drop off Zone, outside terminal |
| London City | £8 | £8 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | Forecourt outside terminal |
Data, RAC.
Right underneath this table, there’s a note. A rather important note that most of the other press has gleefully ignored. It says:
Figures based on nearest drop-off points to terminal buildings. These areas go under different names but are listed. We know that airports offer either free or differently priced alternatives in mid or long-stay car parks with connecting bus or shuttle services. 2025 figures correct as of July 2025; last year’s figures correct as of July 2024
I’ve emphasised this, as most missed this, as this data does not take into account the free options.
What free options are there?
Economy Class and Beyond conducted a meta-analysis and tried to build on this dataset. Well, ok, more searches, documenting the options offered.
The good news is, most airports in this list do have some limited free drop-off parking, with only two not offering a free option.
There is a downside, this being that the drop-off points (in most cases) are well away from the terminal, requiring a shuttle transfer from the terminal or a walk of up to 20 minutes.
For convenience, we have linked both the costed and free options in the table below.
Original Data, RAC. Meta Analysis, Economy Class and Beyond
How can I pay?
It will vary between airports.
Some will have barriers to accessing their premium drop-off areas, requiring payment before or on exit.
Others will be barrierless, featuring Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. You will need to pay by phone or via a website (normally by midnight of the day you’ve dropped off) to avoid getting a penalty fine.
What if I hold a Blue Badge?
Blue Badge holders, in some cases, do not have to pay to drop off outside a terminal building. You’ll need to check each airport’s scheme to see if you need to pay or not.
What about if I’m in an Uber/Rideshare/Taxi to get to an airport?
If you choose to be dropped off at the paid drop-off options, you’ll find that tacked onto your rideshare/taxi fare, too. If you choose to be dropped off at a free drop-off zone, check to ensure you’re not charged.
Something to factor into your fares.
How about being dropped off on a kerb in a circulation area?
Good luck with that. Most Airports have double red lines (or red routes). Per the Highway Code, there is no stopping at any time… and airport police are normally quick to stop people who do this.
Just another cost. Get ready to stomach it.
As airports continue to face pressure on costs, parking and drop-offs are one place where they can juice the fruit… and rather hard too. Be it to meet an environmental goal, or to fill the coffers a little more, passengers who want to be dropped off as close as to the terminal as possible are going to find the costs attached – especially if you stay beyond the time allocated to be dropped off.
That’s when the additional costs come into force… and they’re not cheap.
Depending on when you travel may also bear on this, and it might be unavoidable (the example I give best is the early morning flight when public transport doesn’t exist).
As usual, check before you travel for your options, and don’t forget to pay for it on the day – or else the fines will also start adding up too.
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Newcastle – they started charging £3 for the short stay 2 drop off in January, and have already increased this to £4.
The free option is now a Metro stop (charged, or half-hourly free bus) away.
That’s just rude.
What a crappy move to make for their passengers. I’ll update the table in a bit