Heathrow: Fresh ‘kiss and fly’ charge hike slammed as ‘blatant raid’
Plans by Heathrow Airport to increase drop-off charges for passengers using its terminals have been condemend as a “blatant raid on travellers’ wallets”.
The London hub intends to raise per-passenger charges from £5 to £6 in January next year, a move which follows previous hikes in 2024.
“This increase cannot be justified as a sustainability measure or as an alignment with other airports’ practices,” Clive Wratten, chief executive of The Business Travel Association (BTA), wrote in a letter to to executives at the UK’s biggest airport.
“It is a blatant raid on travellers’ wallets, disproportionately affecting business, solo, and female travellers.”
The lobby group, which represents a slew of business travel firms in the UK, said it was seeking a meeting with Heathrow’s leadership over the matter.
According to the BTA’s analysis, Heathrow will net in excess of £35.2m via additional revenue from parking next year even when accounting for only 50 per cent use of the drop-off option.
“We will be urging our members to look beyond Heathrow to save money on corporate travel and discourage other airports from following suit,” Wratten wrote.
Such an increase comes after Heathrow forecast record traffic over 2024, with more than 80m passengers expected to pass through its gates amid a boom in travel demand.
The airport turned a tidy £350m adjusted profit in its half-year results in October, up from a £19m loss the year prior, and mulled the return of dividend payouts for investors.
Analysis from the RAC in July found a third of major airports in the UK had raised drop-off fees for drivers
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We understand that not all passengers will welcome this increase, but the drop-off charge is an important part of our sustainability strategy and changes behaviour to reduce Heathrow’s environmental impact.
“This charge goes towards funding sustainable transport initiatives while reducing pollution and congestion around the airport.
“Free drop-off and pick-up options remain available for all terminals at all our park and ride car parks.”