Holiday-goers could fork out as much as £105m on airport drop-off fees next year
Holiday-goers leaving the UK could fork out as much as £105m in airport drop-off fees once traveller numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, according to new research.
Most of the country’s busiest airports charge such fees, with the average cost standing at £3.54 – while Heathrow is set to introduce a £5 fee from November, the same as London Gatwick.
Heathrow passengers could dish out £33.4m collectively over the course of next year if passenger numbers return to normal, while passengers flying from London Gatwick could end up paying £14.5m, research from Direct Line Travel found.
Some 26 per cent of Brits, the equivalent of around 13.8m, use such drop-off zones when travelling to and from an airport.
But nearly half of travellers think that the fees are unfair.
“While holidaymakers will find them frustrating, the introduction of these charges is understandable given the huge financial strain put on airports during the pandemic, coupled with uncertain traveller volumes in the near future,” head of Direct Line Travel Insurance, Tom Bishop, said.
Bishop added that cash-strapped travellers should not despair – as there are alternatives.
Most airports still provide alternative free drop-off zones for passengers, though they are usually slightly further away and connected to the main airport through a shuttle.