[redwoods]

I’ve had extensive twitter exchanges with @abz_airport over this, however I think the real issue will come as they have made 3 exit lanes, people will not have change and if they go to find the change machine they will exceed their 10mins, and also the lanes will back up with people trying to use the credit card and again exceed 10 mins. When the subsequent overstay notices get issued the brown stuff will really hit the fan. I calculated the airport could easily make £1m a year on this charge, based on current passenger number stats. The safety point is a complete red herring (except perhaps as relating to the construction area), and as those who use ABZ regularly know there is really not a congestion issue.
I do like the sound of an organized boycott of the duty free outlets.

[IanMcIntosh]

Probably wouldn’t be so bad if everything else about the airport was so substandard. Such as: long security lines outside of fast-track; lounges that aren’t big enough to accommodation normal numbers of passengers; crowded check-ins, crowded gates for any larger plane; hopelessly inadequate luggage belt; and if a taxi company is having a golf outing, forget about getting a taxi.

[MartynSinclair]

@MrMichael

“The whole concept of charging people to bring pax to their business seems nuts to me”

Is it also nuts to have to pay overnight parking in a hotel car park, especially when street parking incurs a parking fine…?

The more I think of this £1 drop off cost… the less I have a problem with it… AS LONG AS THE PROCESS RUNS SMOOTHLY!!!

[HarryMonk]

I think there is a definate difference in peoples expectations when it come to ‘drop-off” and ‘parking’. Most I’m sure would reasonably expect to pay for parking but to pay to pull up at a kerb to drop someone off then immediately leave is not a reasonable expectation.

Additionally, the fee will creep, £1 now soon becomes £2 etc etc. These business models also have a tendency to spread if they gain traction. How long before its £1 to drop someone off at your local railway station?

[MrMichael]

@MartynSinclair

“Is it also nuts to have to pay overnight parking in a hotel car park, especially when street parking incurs a parking fine…?”

I agree Martyn, the hotel clearly has to pay for the upkeep & business rates for the parking area and VAT on the £1. Likely they would be financially better off by just upping the room rate by a quid and make it free parking. They might even save on the NNDR (non domestic rates). However, it is a business and supplying parking costs money so they need to recoup it.

The hotel you refer to……do they charge a drop off fee, and if yes do you support it?

Edit…….bad day at work…..my turn to be curmudgeonly!

[LuganoPirate]

MrMichael. 😉

[MartynSinclair]

Hotel doesn’t charge a drop off fee, but I feel the parking fee (£10+) is a bit steep on the basis that you have no choice to park anywhere else.. As you say, add it to the room rate…. except those using public transport would feel aggrieved.

Same with the drop off charge…you can avoid it by using public transport… bring a car in to the airport costs.. in terms of marshalling the cars through, making sure mini cabs don’t overstay their welcome at kerbside… or in fact any one overstays their welcome..

It all has to be paid for…. key point is to make sure people have change….

May even reduce the number of cars coming into airports. So your £1 could effectively speed you through..

Again, may not be popular, but zero issue with a drop off charge.

[redwoods]

Martyn: Have you tried public transport to ABZ? Its just abysmal.

[canucklad]

You must be clairvoyant Harry

“Additionally, the fee will creep, £1 now soon becomes £2 etc etc”

At EDI they have a time limit, it’s still a £1 to drop off but here’s the rub, I defy anybody to drop off and then exit the maze in under 5 minutes, especially at busy times. Because if you can’t Steve McQueen yourself through the crowds of cars then it’s…….. Wham bam and thank you for dropping off a fare paying passenger at the airport today, that‘ll be £3 please.

Oh, and when is EDI not busy these days ?

[AMcWhirter]

Hello canucklad

For your info here is the piece we published on August 29 regarding EDI raising its drop-off fees.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/100807/edinburgh-airport-triples-car-drop-off-fees

[Cedric_Statherby]

Please be reasonable. There is so much at ABZ – and indeed EDI – which is still entirely free:

Breathing the air
Using the toilets
Reading the departures board
Being ignored by the information staff
Having your luggage lost and not listening when you ask about it

All of these have happened to me at a Scottish airport in the last 12 months.

And indeed, why do airports not charge for luggage tags? They cost money to print, the machines are expensive, the litter as incoming passengers rip them off needs collecting …

More seriously, life is too short to worry about this sort of thing. Yes it is mildly annoying, but airports have to make money somewhere and the better approach is to assess what your whole flying experience costs. Take Flight + surcharges + tax + ground transportation + parking fees + baggage fees + extras + rip-off prices for food, add them all together, take a deep breath, and if it still seems good value to travel, save yourself the angst of worrying about this petty charge or that minor inconvenience.

Either the all-in price is good enough value or it isn’t. If it is, spare yourself the worry and agitation. if it isn’t, don’t travel.

[HarryMonk]

Perhaps the airports could be a bit more imaginative if they need to raise money. We see jetbridges plastered with HSBC signage. How about the free to use “Irn Bru Drop-Off Zone”

[peter19]

A year later and Aberdeen are doubling the price of drop off to £2. They want to encourage people to use the short stay car park…to drop off?

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/aberdeen-airport-doubles-drop-off-charge-to-2/

[AMcWhirter]

Thanks for posting, peter19

In fact Aberdeen is following closely in the footsteps of London Stansted which raises its fees barely a fortnight ago.

Although Stansted’s price rise is just 50 pence, which makes the drop-off fee £3, it will heavily penalise those drivers who stay less than 10 mins.

The previous charge was £2.50 for every extra minute.

The new charge is a £50 (fifty pounds) penalty.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-35932803

[Speedbird_ABZ]

I use the airport perhaps twice a month and pick up/drop off colleagues on top of that. I have NEVER seen any real congestion there.
I think I said this before, but this is blatant profiteering, drop the wardens, charge the punters, win-win.
This will be to make up for the 15% downturn in passengers this year due to the oil industry dip.
I’m considering using Inverness for a trip to the US later this year now that BA are starting flights from there – I can save a couple of hundred £ by doing that with their lower departure taxes apart from anything else.

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