Gatwick Airport launching its £5 drop-off fee on 8th March
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Back in October, we covered Gatwick’s announcement of a terminal drop-off fee.
Any vehicles dropping off passengers directly outside either the North or South terminals will be charged a £5 fee for the privilege.
It joins Stansted, Luton, Edinburgh, Manchester and many other regional airports in charging. London Heathrow is also planning its own drop-off fee later this year.
The airport has just announced that the fee will kick in from 8th March.
Gatwick’s £5 charge will be one of the most expensive airport drop-off fees in the country, matching Stansted’s pricing. The cost could reach a whopping £25, with the fee increasing by £1 per minute after the first 10 minutes. The maximum stay allowed will be 30 minutes.
In a slight climb down for local commuters who take the train from Gatwick, anyone living in the RH6 0, RH6 9 and RH11 0 postcodes will be allowed to buy a £50 annual pass.
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 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.
