Edinburgh airport now charges you £8 to drop someone off, to take two adults and a 9 month old with the luggage and buggy two cars had to be used ie £16 for 5 mins. Is it just Edi taking the pi££ ?
Seems pretty standard at most airports theses days but there is usually a free option a short bus ride away.
How long were you parked for? I think I was a fiver about 5 weeks ago and I was in and out in 5 minutes.
Those cheap flights cause airport revenue pressure. It's clawed back by charging the punters to drop-off at the front of the terminal.
https://www.edinburghairport.com/edinburgh-airport-parking/drop-off-and-pick-up
bit shit that there is no bus, not ideal if you have lots of luggage or unable to walk that distance.
there is usually a free option a short bus ride away.
This.
I work for an airline, so overhear this complaint all the time, despite the fact that there is a well signed, free drop off and pick up area all off 400metres away from the terminal front doors at the particular airport where I'm based.
Airports are a business not a charity, and thus well within their rights to maximise their return on the general public being bone idle!
Similar at Leeds Bratford. A quick ejection on double yellows is required.
Similar at Leeds Bratford
Without giving too much away, have a read of my first post!
Oh and their not yellows, they are red - and they are all camera monitored so you run a good chance of getting a £60 fine in the post!
Seriously, the free bit is literally metres further down the road!
Airports are a business not a charity, and thus well within their rights to maximise their return on the general public being bone idle!
Luton is owned by the council. So the cash goes to some ones adult social care or similar
Seriously, the free bit is literally metres further down the road!
To be honest it’s a few years since I’ve either dropped off or been dropped at LB. We usually park up at Sentinel if we’re flying. & last time I dropped off they were yellow & I was stopped for about 10 seconds.
So where’s the free bit? ( for future reference)
, to take two adults and a 9 month old with the luggage and buggy two cars had to be used
This baffles me
free drop off and pick up area all off 400metres away from the terminal front doors at the particular airport where I’m based.
you’re not based at LGW or LHR then! A pain when someone works there and you drop them off and go onto work, then collect them in the evening on the way home (I used to do this most days for Son2). There are free options known to locals depending on terminal. Otherwise it’s the wrong side of the airport for T5 (it’s a bus from long stay business parking near T4) and miles away for T2 and 3 at LHR.
This baffles me
That was my initial thought too. How do the 2 adults manage 2 car loads of luggage and baby through the airport?
It's just part of the cost of air travel. If you don't like it, don't fly. Simples.
Heathrow has free drop off and parking at the first few tube stops east. Tube is free from there to the terminals as well iirc
The tram stops outside the airport and the parking at the tram is free - do they charge for the 500 yards tram journey? Might be more than 500 yards but it is 1 stop and is about 1 minute of movement.
Is it just Edi taking the pi££ ?
Every airport does it. Why? Because they claim they don't want you to do it, the cost is there to try to persuade you to do something else. I think most people see it as a way for airport owning companies to make up some of the lost revenue during covid. Either way, there's normally a cheaper of free alternative that involves a bit of walking.
But like others have asked; how are you going to manage through the airport by yourselves if it takes two cars worth to get you there in the first place?
It seems to be they will charge whatever the British public will tolerate. By comparison at Alicante airport in Spain you still get a 10 minute free drop off right in front of the terminal and they're building more spaces, which will also remian free.
Car driver wants whole world rearranged so they don't have to walk more than 20m. Nothing new.
Otherwise it’s the wrong side of the airport for T5 (it’s a bus from long stay business parking near T4)
Free pick up and drop off at T5 long stay, which is 5 mins from the terminal on the northern perimeter road IIRC.
Because Edinburgh spent over a billion quid on a tram to get people to the airport but people would rather pay £8 to dropoff by car.
Got to pay for the tram somehow!
TBF not everyone owns a car large enough for 3 adults, a small child, buggy and holiday luggage. And given the recent weather, it's possible that the 10-15 minute walk could be through snow and slush over ice. Not easy with trolleys and a buggy.
But planet rapers need to take all of that into account before flying.
Manchester Airport is the same, about £8 for 10 mins.
to take two adults and a 9 month old with the luggage and buggy two cars had to be used
How?! Some sort of special extra tiny car?
I took my sister, BiL and their 2 kids to the airport last year for their skiing holiday. 5 people in the car and all their luggage, no issues.
I wasn't flying and neither was my partner but her daughter and family who were over and not doing the hand luggage with a 9 month old
Neither of us have the de rigueur stw cavernous Octavia Scout
Must remember to drop them off and at the Hilton next time and have them struggle the 1/4 mile with no trolley or pay the £110 taxi
The drop off charge is £8 minimum
Usually on here folk moaning about a sole traders hourly rate and how can they justify
Those cheap flights cause airport revenue pressure.
Is that right? Every day's a school day. 🙂
Use the train station for Birmingham International drop-offs, it's an escalator and monorail trip from there to the airport. 🙂
It’s just part of the cost of air travel. If you don’t like it, don’t fly
It seems to be they will charge whatever the British public will tolerate.
people would rather pay £8 to dropoff by car.
The people travelling by air are are not the people doing the dropping off and being charged for it As a charge its a bit stealthy as you'd fully expect to pay to park but less less so to simply be passing by, pull over, open your door, and close it again. If you expected it to be a charged for service you have the option to decide whether you see value it in and make other plans but by and large people dont expect 'politely doing someone a favour' to be something they'd get billed for so they're not making a decision based on cost.
Manchester Airport is the same, about £8 for 10 mins.
It's not very well signposted, but the free shuttle bus is off the old T2 roundabout. It's pretty convenient.
I have flagged this to family - and each one duly hands me cash to pay the fee - but they get a surprise when a quid doesn't cover it (so it then goes back in their pocket!).
At the same time, the idea of a train to Edinburgh and jumping on a tram to airport is apparently far too much extra effort for them, so the alternative is never entertained either.
A shame as it is the sort of thing that should be getting very heavily promoted to encourage it. Having used the tram a few times, most people do get off at the stop before the airport almost like it just isn't useful which is a real shame as if it was well used you could probably introduce some earlier check-in options from the tram service.
I'm always happy to do the drop-off, but mainly as the earache and 'stress' the alternative creates isn't worth the money saving on the drop-off fee, however, it looks like I managed to miss the latest price hike!
is EDI taking the piss? nope.
should they struggle a 1/4mile with no trolley? yep
The drop off charge is £8 minimum
redmex - that’s incorrect. 0-10 minutes at drop off is £4 (per car). You are surely not complaining at being charged for driving two cars because you had too much stuff / couldn’t pack efficiently?
maccruisen - it’s hardly a surprise charge at Edinburgh - they’ve been doing it for about 10 years. I may be remembering wrong but when the charge was introduced the surplus was going to local charities (my memory was environmental / active travel projects).
if you think that’s expensive you’ve obviously not parked at the airport recently! I wouldn’t mind that if there was decent public transport for people who aren’t in the centre of Edinburgh (I’m a 15 minute drive, or an hour plus and a change with no service before 0645 or after 2130). However, it’s a tax on people who can afford to drive a car / fly and who are adding to global pollution so I’m not upset.
Dick,
the tram stop before is the park and ride - it’s hardly a surprise that this is a busy stop. However there is some price gouging going on there, I can’t remember the exact fares but a ticket for the tram going anywhere except the airport is about 1/4 the price of one going to the airport. If the mission was to encourage people in Edinburgh to us use the tram for their airport travel it seems backwards.
Edinburgh trams set the pricing to discourage you from using the tram to the airport. To travel from Ingliston P&R (free parking) to the airport is 3mins and £6.50 per person.
To travel from Edinburgh City Centre to Ingliston is 32mins and £1.80. Price goes up to £6.50 if you continue to the airport.
The bus from the city centre to the airport is just as quick and cheaper £4.50 but doesn't stop at the P&R.
I've not done park and ride to airport but done to park and ride...tram is always pretty much empty after that stop - which makes sense as free parking and the tram ticket into town is cheaper than parking in town. I've no issues with that as that was 1 of the aims of the system.
We don't know what size car was used - it might be a Fiat 500 in which case you won't fit anything other than the bodies and a nappy changing bag in 1 of those which means 2 cars would be required.
Free pick up and drop off at T5 long stay, which is 5 mins from the terminal on the northern perimeter road IIRC.
you won’t be waving them goodbye though. First 30 min free and buses every 15 min. Otherwise it’s £8 to park for an hour, so may as well go to short stay. My son used to catch the staff bus from the car park near T4 and that was often unreliable.
When LHR introduced the fee it was stated as mitigating falls in income. It was also free for electric cars. They removed that exemption quickly as every Uber became a Tesla!
The cheapest was to LHR is the tube. The Elizabeth Line is also faster (change at Reading and Hayes if coming from the west). Heathrow Express is now effectively redundant.
We are the family and friends Heathrow parking and drop off facility 🤣
It don’t use to be 8 quid, has it gone up?
The thing that stung me was the overnight parking fee. 130 quid to park about 400 meters from the front door for about 24 hrs!! Luckily I was flying for work so just expensed it but that one surprised me a bit I must say
In defense of Edinburgh airport their parking at the terminal is less for one week than 3 days at Glasgow airport.
maccruisen – it’s hardly a surprise charge at Edinburgh – they’ve been doing it for about 10 years.
Its a surprise charge if the cost of the service isnt the way the service is offered to you. I travel to/fro to an airport somewhere by car two or three times a decade at a guess - the driver doing the pickup / drop off isnt the air traveller and if I'm travelling by air I dont travel by car. More often I go to them for work purposes - as in the airport is the destination for the work but when thats the case we shut down all vehicle access and I have the run of the place for free - I even get to drive on the runway occasionally 🙂
Frequent airport users (who drive there) will know about the charges and what the alternatives are and can vote with their feet (I have an arrangement with anyone flying into/from Glasgow now which I'm selfish enough not to publicise) Others who never or rarely know what terms are will have planned in ignorance of them and will follow the sign that says 'Drop off' but theres not usually clear signs that gave them the choice between 'Free Drop off' and 'Luxury £10 drop off'
They charge £3 at Birmingham and then it gets added to your uber fare - it is annoying, but what can you do?
I ve been using Manchester airport for ages now and it's well connected by public transport. Usually a train but last strike day I took a tram to centre, nice lunch at this and that,
Courtesy of stw thread, then a cheapo bus onwards.
8 quid drop off fee is a bit toppy, suppose it's what people will pay.
you won’t be waving them goodbye though.
I'll wave at them from the comfort of my drivers seat as I roll past the bus queue on my way back to the motorway. ☺
8 quid drop off fee is a bit toppy, suppose it’s what people will pay.
For two cars.
Airports are money making businesses so sadly they look for all available opportunities to make money - knowing damn well you have few if any alternatives.
All the airports put the drop off charges up after 2020. Worst Ive ever visited as an airport taxi driver was Luton, £5 for 10min and then a £1 per min after. You pay at the barrier on exit.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Everytime I visited there was someone who didn't realise and then would cause a huge blockage at the barrier exit when they've spend an hour at the airport and have a big parking bil which they can't afford. Causing everyone stuck behind them to also have their bill increase as well. I used to charge a flat rate for drop off trips - but not for Luton.</span>
I dropped someone off at Manchester for the first time in years this summer and none of us realised about the charges. Just about cobbled a fiver together between us all. Not like you can do a u turn. I didn't notice whether you can tap your card or phone. I assume you can.
At the point you get to here...
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/ @55.9444626,-3.3614432,3a,59y,323.78h,97.82t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soxqh8llr_L_PUWVf4H5YAQ!2e0!3e11!7i13312!8i6656
... you've time to go elsewhere.
