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Gatwick Airport to introduce £5 charge to drop off passengers from 2021

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Gatwick Airport has announced that it will start charging for terminal drop-offs in 2021.

Any vehicles dropping off passengers directly outside either the North or South terminals will be charged a £5 fee for the privilege.

It now joins Stansted, Luton, Edinburgh, Manchester and many other regional airports in charging. London Heathrow is the notable outlier, with drop off and pick up free at all times.

On introduction it will also be one of the most expensive airport drop-off fees in the country, matching Stansted’s pricing.

If you want to park for free you can get up to two hours free parking in Gatwick’s long stay car parks, although you’ll have to hop on a (free) shuttle bus to the terminal.

Gatwick North Terminal

Gatwick is spinning this as a sustainable initiative to reduce traffic in and around the airport. Around 15% of all passengers currently get dropped off on the kerb and Gatwick is clearly hoping it can encourage more people to take the train.

It also suggests that any revenue generated will help the airport “recover and preserve jobs from the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.”

No date has yet been set for the launch of the charges, but look out for it in 2021.

Comments (67)

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  • Doug M says:

    I love articles like this. It’s like dipping a toe into Daily Mail world. Cue Race to the Bottom, Rip-Off Britain, I’ll vote with my wallet/feet.

  • Courgette Crumble says:

    Ah, this old chestnut. Pick up and drop off charges. A great little strategy to get some extra EBITDA through the door. Of course almost all the UK regionals have been doing this for years. Gatwick never needed to…until now. MAN introduced it a few years ago and made a killing from it before COVID. A classic UK / British approach i.e. make incremental money by “monetising the basics.”

    • Lady London says:

      Ripoff Britain – welcome.

      It’s even insulting when they claim all these ripoff are for the latest trendy reason they xan grab.

      What was it this time….. elf’n’safety? security? or the latest, Covid whatever.

      This aspect of Britain and its greedy government-sanctioned capitalists make me sick.

      • Nick_C says:

        Never had you down as a Socialist LL.

        So when you get your £50 from Metro Bank, which good cause will you be giving it to? 😉

        Although if you are saying the Airports should not have been privatised, I agree with you.

        • Lady London says:

          I’ve had to put up with a parade of ineptness by Metro Bank – charming though they are – so I went for it as some offset to the consequences.

  • Max says:

    Surely Gatwick should be encouraging passengers to use its airport. This approach does the opposite.

  • zebrum says:

    If they really wanted to solve congestion they’d build a free cellphone lot in a nearby field like USA airports. NCP can’t let that happen.

  • Peter North says:

    Personally, I think given the troubling times we are going through its only fair to charge, The airports have to claw it back somewhere, I would advocate at least £10. I know parking at Gatwick is free, but I would rather sit in my S class and pay a tenner rather than get crammed into a covid infested bus.

    • Nick_C says:

      You may end up on a Covid infested plane though, for far longer than the shuttle bus journey. Unless you swap the S class for the Learjet once you get to Gatwick.

    • Lady London says:

      …said the fat cat 🙂

    • mr_jetlag says:

      You are the chairman of MAG and I claim my £5.

  • Fenny says:

    Just had an email from my holiday company to say the week in Greece I had to reschedule to next September is now departing from Gatwick on a Tuesday or Saturday, rather than Stansted on Sunday. No way am I going on the train. It’ll take longer than the flight to Greece! But at least I’ll be driving myself, so just have to stump up for parking.

  • Ferd says:

    Heathrow charges for pickup through banning it and fining you if you are caught picking up.

  • Alex says:

    Pickup’s are not free at Heathrow, you have to pay for a minimum of 30 minutes in the short stay car parks at all terminals it costs around £4, drop off’s are still free at all terminals at Heathrow. But they are planning a HULEZ which will put their costs anything from £10-£15 for both drop off and pickup.

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