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The airport parking mistake that could cost you £100 this summer
What to watch out for with barrierless car parks, plus how to dodge expensive kiss-and-fly parking
Pick-up or drop-off at some UK airports could now cost you up to £100 if you make a mistake in new barrierless airport car parks.
Instead of physical barriers with payment booths, barrierless car parks at airports including Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted now use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to track how long you park for and how much you owe.
Depending on the airport, you’ll need to remember to pay online or by phone, by the deadline of midnight the next day -- or within 24 hours at Birmingham.
If you forget, you’ll receive a fine. These vary between airports but can range from £80-£100 and are reduced if paid within 14 days.
Are barrierless airport car park fines legal?
We previously reported that the legal basis for these fines has been challenged.
In one case, a barrister avoided a fine for failing to pay Heathrow’s £5 drop-off charge by questioning its legality. Edward Levey, a King’s Counsel at a London chambers, neglected to pay Heathrow’s new £5 fee when dropping off his daughter at the end of last year. The following night, he realised he’d forgotten to pay, and this meant he was threatened with an £80 fine, reduced to £40 if he paid within 14 days.
We reported that, while he admitted that there were many signs at the airport warning of the drop-off charge, he believed that – because it’s difficult to pay in the moment – many people will forget as soon as they get home. He attempted to appeal against the fine but parking firm APCOA, which runs the system for Heathrow, turned down his appeal and appointed a debt agency to recover the money.
The parking firm, APCOA, dropped the fine before the challenge went to court, and so the law is still unclear.
Before arriving at some airports, you can register for an AutoPay account, which automatically charges your card – but always check how much you’ve been charged at any barrierless car park.
Barrierless car park fines
If you’d prefer not to pay at all, each airport has a free, albeit less convenient, drop-off option you can use instead. We've shared details of five in the table below, but read our guide to getting cheaper drop-off airport parking for UK-wide advice.
| Airport | Drop-off charges | Payment deadline | Penalty charge | Free alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | £5 (5 mins), £6.20 (10 mins), £25 (up to 30 mins), max stay 30 mins | Midnight next day | £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days) | Jetparks 1, with free shuttle bus 24/7 to terminals |
| Birmingham Premium Set Down | £6 (15 mins), £11 (20 mins), £23 (30 mins), prices vary thereafter | Within 24 hours | ‘In accordance with British Parking Association guidelines’ | Drop-Off car park is free for first 10 mins |
| London Stansted | £7 (15 mins), £25 (over 15 mins), max stay 30 mins | Midnight next day | £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days) | Mid Stay car park is free for 60 mins, with free shuttle bus 24/7 to terminals |
| London Heathrow Drop-off Chargeable Zones | £6 | Midnight next day | £80 (reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days) | Park & Ride car parks are free for first 29 minutes, with free bus shuttle |
| London Gatwick Drop Off | £6 for 10 minutes, then £1 per minute up to max stay of 30 minutes, max daily charge £26 | Midnight next day | - | Long Stay North and South Terminal Car Parks are free for 2 hours, with free shuttle bus |
A dash indicates we were unable to obtain this information.
