Does the Upper Class Wing at Heathrow incur the drop off charge?

[Lewi]

Hi, First time posting on the forum. I’m due to fly out of LHR in April with VA. I’ll be travelling in either a taxi or friends car to be dropped off at the Virgin Upper Class Wing. I’m trying to find out is I need to pay the LHR drop off charge but can’t find anyhting on either the LHR wbsite or VA’s. If I do, I will need to pay in advance to avoid a penalty charge.

• This topic was modified 54 years, 9 months ago by .

[ChrisC]

Then VS UC wing is outside of the drop off charge zone and so does not apply.

[rajkumarpatel@yahoo.com]

It’s OTT. I flew out from term 3 and checked in thru upper class wing. Waited 45-50 minutes. I suggest best is to check in at the main terminal and enjoy your time in clubhouse instead

[marks7389]

We also had a bad experience travelling through the UC Wing. If there’s a problem they end up hanging on the phone waiting for someone downstairs to pick up, though my resulting complaint to Virgin’s Exec Team will hopefully force a bit of a rethink about that process….

Our taxi driver thought he’d have to pay the drop-off charge, though I suspected that wasn’t the case. It would be useful for Virgin to give some clarity on that as well.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 9 months ago by .

[paulm]

The drop off charge does apply as when you come out of the UC wing, you can only turn left (unless you do a dodgy manoeuvre) which takes you through the standard departures area.

[caland]

So we got dropped off by friends and I had previously thought the Upper Wing was exempt from the drop off fees. As I wasn’t with them I don’t know which way they went.

Now they have gotten the £80 Parking Charge Note, has anyone appealed it or should I just pay the £40 now?

[paul-uk]

YES – you do have to pay the £5 drop-off charge.

End of April, I had issues with a Covid Result for flying to the USA – rather than having to try to get it done again when I arrived at the airport, I thought I would pop in to the UC Wing to clarify it.

Arrived at the intercom only to be told I couldn’t go in as flight was the next day – they were not interested in reason and advised I must go to main check-in desks.

They said go out of UC Wing exit and across road to car park. The problem is that you cannot do that because the airport have coned it all off.

So, it meant a drive thru the drop-off zone, around the block and into the car park. I stopped to clarify with a staff member that I wouldn’t be charged twice (drop-off £5 and parking) – and was told I would only be charged once.

Went to the “covid staff” at the check-in desks to explain my issue with the test result and app etc – only to be told “oh, ignore that, it never works, just turn up”. I asked why the UC Wing staff couldn’t have told me that and the virgin-authorised staff member didn’t even know there was an UC Wing lol.

Checked in the following morning and all went fine.

Two weeks ago, I get a £10 admin charge from my car lease company and the Parking Notice for failing to pay the Drop-Off Fee.

That meant an appeal to the enforcement dept, to include the car park receipt (£8 for 30 minutes) that I sensibly kept. That dept kindly cancelled the penalty “on this occassion” and the car lease refunded my £10 when they were sent the appeal decision notice.

Basically, nobody at Virgin UC Wing was of any use and the parking system at Heathrow is a joke.