UK airport drop-off charges: prices, payment and fines

What you need to do

If you are driving a passenger to a major UK airport, assume the terminal forecourt is chargeable. Cameras read your number plate as you enter, there is no barrier and no machine, and nobody will remind you to pay. Your job is simple:

• Check the price and the free alternatives at your airport before you leave.
• Pay online, by phone or set up autopay, ideally before the trip.
• If you pay afterwards, do it by midnight on the day after your visit.
• Never wait, pick up or leave the car unattended in a drop-off zone.

According to Heathrow, it was the last major UK airport to introduce such a charge, with similar schemes already in place at the other 9 largest UK airports. Below are the rules at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester.

Heathrow: £7 per entry

Heathrow’s Terminal Drop-Off Charge applies to the passenger drop-off zones in front of the terminal buildings, also called the terminal forecourts. A £7 charge applies each time you drive into a terminal drop-off zone, and it applies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Road signs in and around the airport mark the chargeable zones.

The same £7 applies at every terminal forecourt:

• Terminal 2: off Constellation Way, follow the up ramp to the drop-off area.
• Terminal 3: follow Cosmopolitan Way on to Camborne Road, where there are 4 drop-off lanes.
• Terminal 4: follow Stratford Road, with 3 lanes at the top of the ramp.

Taxis (black cabs) and private hire vehicles also pay £7 each time they enter. If you book a taxi, the driver may pass this cost on, so ask when you book.

Prices: old and new figures

Sources disagree on the amount, and the reason is time. Heathrow’s original press release announced a £5 fee across all terminal forecourts from 1 November, with the phone line opening from the same date. Heathrow’s current pages show £7. If you read £5 elsewhere, it is an outdated figure.

Terminal 4 Priority Pick-Up

This is a separate, pick-up only area reached via Salisbury Road. According to Heathrow’s Priority Pick-Up page, a charge applies each time you enter: £7.00 for up to 10 minutes and £14.00 for 11 to 29 minutes. Heathrow’s Terminal 4 changes page adds £25.00 for every 30 to 60 minutes, £25.00 for over 60 minutes and each additional 60 minutes or part thereof, and a £200.00 maximum daily charge. Blue Badge discounts and exemptions do not apply here. The Departures Level drop-off (Level 4) remains open with the normal drop-off charge.

Gatwick: priced by the minute

Gatwick’s drop-off zones are on the forecourt outside both North and South Terminals. There are no barriers: you drive in, pull over in the designated bays, drop your passengers and drive out. The rates are:

• £10 for 10 minutes.
• £1 for each additional minute up to 20 minutes.
• A maximum daily charge of £30.
• A maximum length of stay of 30 minutes.

You have until midnight the following day to pay. Gatwick also runs a Local Commuter Scheme, described in its FAQs. Charges are calculated with ANPR cameras, and Gatwick’s terms and conditions make the driver responsible for a legal, clearly visible and legible number plate. A dirty or obscured plate that the cameras cannot read does not exempt you from the tariff or from any Parking Charge.

Gatwick’s terms state that a Parking Charge Notice will be issued if the fee is not paid, but the amount is not published on these pages.

Stansted: the Express Set Down

At London Stansted the drop-off area is called the Express Set Down. Stansted’s Pick Up and Drop Off page lists these charges:

• Up to 30 minutes: £13.
• Up to 1 hour: £21.
• Up to 2 hours: £25.
• Up to 4 hours: £38.

The area is barrierless, with no payment machines. According to Stansted’s parking FAQs, you must pay online via the payment portal or by phone on 03450 175046 by midnight the day after your visit. Cash and cheques are not accepted, and you cannot pay on the way out. Stansted also states that turn-up car parking tariff charges apply to the Express Set Down and the Short Stay Orange car park.

Local residents can join a discount scheme for the Express Set Down, with the same payment deadline.

Manchester: rules without a published price

Manchester’s Drop Off Zone terms confirm a tariff is payable, shown on the signage and on the airport website, but the terms do not state the amount. Check the signs on arrival or the airport’s pick-up and drop-off page before travelling. You can pay online, by automated telephone service or by autopay. Non-payment or late payment may lead to a Parking Charge and further enforcement, including debt recovery.

How to pay

The principle is the same everywhere: there is nothing to pay at the kerb.

Heathrow

You have three ways to pay: online at heathrow.com/dropoff, by automated phone service on 0330 008 5600, or automatically through autopay. Payments are by credit or debit card. You can pay in advance, on the day, or afterwards. Heathrow’s terms set the deadline at 23:59:59 on the first day after the charge was incurred. Prepaid trips last 12 months from the date of purchase, after which unused funds expire. If you have an existing Terminal Drop-Off account, it also works for Terminal 4 Priority Pick-Up.

Regular users are encouraged to open a pre-pay account. Business accounts, recommended for taxi and private hire drivers, are free but restricted to autopay. For questions or refunds, Heathrow directs drivers to APCOA at refunds.heathrowdropoff@apcoa.com, by webchat or on 0333 200 7459.

If you register a vehicle you do not own, for example a hire car, Heathrow’s terms say you must inform the registered keeper that you are paying the charge. Removing a vehicle from your account does not cancel charges incurred while it was registered.

Gatwick

Payment and accounts are handled through Times24, and you have until midnight the following day.

Stansted

Pay online or by phone on 03450 175046, or set up AutoPay through the payment portal by adding your registration and a payment card. Payment is then taken after each journey. Stansted points out that it is your responsibility to have a valid payment method on the account before using a drop-off area.

Controls and fines

All the airports use automatic number plate recognition. In case of a breach, Heathrow says it may request the registered keeper’s details from the DVLA. The penalties are:

• Heathrow: an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days. The full amount must be paid within 28 days of issue, after which further enforcement and debt recovery costs may follow.
• Stansted: a £100.00 Parking Charge Notice sent to the registered vehicle holder, reduced to £60.00 if paid within 14 days.
• Manchester: a Parking Charge may be issued; the amount is not stated in the terms. If unpaid after 28 days it may go to debt recovery, with an additional fee of up to £70.
• Gatwick: a Parking Charge Notice will be issued for non-payment; the amount is not published on Gatwick’s drop-off pages.

At Manchester, breaking the Free Drop Off terms can also cost £100, see below.

Exceptions and Blue Badge holders

Heathrow

Holders of a valid UK or European Economic Area (EEA) Blue Badge can apply for a 100% discount, even if they do not drive or own a vehicle. You apply for the vehicle that drops you off, such as a taxi or a friend’s car. According to Heathrow’s press release, a drop-off can be registered up to 3 months in advance or by midnight the day after. Emergency service vehicles, military vehicles and Heathrow permitted operational vehicles are exempt. Heathrow colleagues with a valid Heathrow ID received a 100% discount for the first 12 months of the scheme.

Gatwick

Blue Badge holders are exempt. They can register their vehicles or log into an existing account via Times24, and Gatwick’s terms ask holders to apply in advance of the visit by submitting a copy of the Blue Badge.

Manchester

The passenger being dropped off must hold the Blue Badge. You can then use the Drop Off Zone free of charge, but you must contact a traffic marshal and show the badge. If you do not, charges may apply.

Where to drop off for free

Every airport offers a free alternative, usually a little further away:

• Heathrow: free drop-off at the Park and Ride car parks, previously known as Long Stay, with a free bus transfer to the terminal. Pick-ups should be made from Terminal Parking or Park and Ride.
• Gatwick: park in the Long Stay car parks for free for 2 hours, with a free shuttle bus to the terminals. For longer goodbyes, Gatwick suggests the Short Stay car parks at North and South Terminals.
• Stansted: park for free for up to 1 hour in the Mid Stay car park, which Stansted suggests for pick-ups or visiting the terminal.
• Manchester: the Free Drop Off facility. It is drop-off only, you must not use it to pick up passengers, and it is for public use only, not commercial or business use. A charge of £100 may be payable for any breach of its terms.

The free options add a bus transfer, so allow extra time before check-in.

Checklist before the trip

• Decide between the forecourt and the free car park, and allow time for the shuttle bus if you choose the free option.
• Check the current price: £7 at Heathrow, £10 for 10 minutes at Gatwick, £13 for up to 30 minutes at Stansted, signage at Manchester.
• Save the payment website or phone number, or set up autopay before leaving.
• Make sure your number plate is clean and legible.
• Blue Badge holders: register in advance at Heathrow and Gatwick, and keep the badge ready for the marshal at Manchester.
• Do not wait, pick up or leave the car unattended on the forecourt.
• Pay by midnight on the day after your visit, and if a Parking Charge arrives, pay within 14 days to get the reduced amount.