The BTA said fees were earning UK airports £300 million a year and singled out Stansted, where a combined drop-off and pick-up is £17, as the most expensive in the UK.
It was followed by Heathrow (£12.50) and Gatwick, Bristol and Leeds Bradford at £12, although Bristol does offer free "waiting zone" car parking near the entrance of its Silver Zone car park for up to an hour with a free shuttle bus service to and from the terminal.
Only London City airport featured a completely free drop-off, with Birmingham offering up to 10 minutes for free. None of the 17 UK airports in the BTA survey offered free pick-up. Newcastle and Aberdeen, with combined fees of £8, were cheapest.
Details were revealed in a BTA whitepaper, Drop the Drop Off Fees. It calls for a government investigation into the charges.
’Pure profit-seeking’?
Clive Wratten, BTA chief executive, said: “It is utterly illogical that these fees have soared to such unprecedented levels. To get dropped off and picked up kerbside is a necessity for so many travellers.
“Ultimately, these fees add another barrier to recovery for travellers and the travel sector. We urge UK airports to re-evaluate this policy and eliminate these fees altogether.”
He added: “The nature and procedures of air travel make it impossible to know how long it will take to enter and exit an airport and this varies from one airport to another in the UK.
“It is for this reason that most major airports outside of the UK offer free drop off and pick up, making us an outlier. UK Business travellers are being penalised and forced to pay unreasonable prices for something that they can’t control.”
The BTA said most fees were introduced between 2009 and 2012, when the UK was hit by the effects of the global recession.
The white paper added: “While some suspect pure profit-seeking to recover pandemic losses, airports argue that the increases are necessary to pay for vital investments, to improve the environment and to aid operational efficiency.”
The BTA said airports argued fees “are designed to reduce congestion and emissions” by encouraging public transport use, but added failure to offer discounts for electric vehicles “is a clear contradiction in their environmental aims”.
The association also argued fees were discriminatory towards women.
“Women in particular may not feel safe travelling alone late at night on public transport, leaving lifts and taxis as the only option where they feel safe. With steep pick-up fees, it can feel like a tax on safe travel,” the BTA concluded.
The survey came as Airport Parking & Hotels revealed similar research. It found only four of 22 UK airports allowed drivers free drop off directly at the terminal. However, APH said travellers could be dropped off free in many short and long stay car parks.
These included Southampton, where the long stay car park is free for up to 30 minutes and the terminal reached in five minutes via a shuttle bus. Luton also offers this, but APH said the mid-term car park was “10-15 minutes’ walk and offered only a quarter of an hour free.
