Dropping someone at a UK airport is getting pricier, and now ministers want to know why. The government has confirmed a review of airport drop-off charges after research from the RAC showed that 16 of the 20 UK airports assessed have raised or newly introduced 'kiss and fly' fees over the past year. The average charge has climbed by roughly a third to £7.
The current costs are steep if you're heading to the terminal itself. Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, charges £7 for a drop-off. Gatwick wants £10 for 10 minutes, then £1 for every extra minute up to 20. Stansted is £10 for up to 15 minutes — and a hefty £28 if you linger between 16 and 30. Manchester charges £5.50 for a five-minute window. Taxi and private hire fares usually pass these fees straight on to passengers.
The Department for Transport says the review is about keeping travel accessible and treating passengers fairly, and has urged airports to show restraint on price rises, especially where public transport alternatives are thin on the ground. The exact scope hasn't been settled, but it could look at affordability, accessibility, how airports spend the revenue, and whether the charges nudge people towards trains and buses instead.
The RAC's senior policy officer Rod Dennis called the announcement 'music to the ears' of drivers, noting that four in five surveyed consider the fees a rip-off, and only one in ten understand what they're paying for. He also pointed out that most major airports overseas let drivers drop passengers free of charge right by the terminal — a contrast he finds hard to justify.
The airports industry pushes back. Karen Dee, chief executive of trade body AirportsUK, argues that free drop-off options already exist in mid- and long-stay car parks, usually with a shuttle bus to the terminal, and that premium drop-off revenue supports the business model that keeps routes and flights viable. Unlike many publicly owned, subsidised airports abroad, she notes, UK airports are generally private and pay full commercial taxes.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple: check your airport's drop-off rules before you go, because the price and time limits vary wildly. If £7–£10 for a few curbside minutes stings, the free car park plus shuttle option remains the budget workaround at most UK airports — just build in an extra 15–20 minutes. And if the review leads to cheaper or fairer set-down rules, everyone flying from a UK airport stands to benefit.
