News

Manchester airport to charge for trolleys

15 Feb 2012 by BusinessTraveller

As flagged by one of our forum posters, from this April passengers using new trolleys at Manchester airport will have to pay £1 for the privilege.

The airport is investing over £1 million replacing “ageing luggage trolleys with brand new, lightweight manoeuvrable versions”, and says that “To continue making multi-million pound investments in the airport when the cost of air fares are reducing, means that airports can't continue to provide services like trolleys for free”.

The charge will come into effect from April 10, with passengers having to pay a non-refundable £1 or €2 to use a trolley. There will also be a facility to use a credit card “at some of the vending machines”.

The airport adds that as only around five per cent of passengers currently use trolleys, “this method ensures that only the user pays rather than spread the cost across everyone”.

According to the airport the new trolleys are “significantly easier to steer and operate as well as being much lighter and therefore easier to use”. They will also be fitted with GPS, allowing the airport to build information on trolley “hot spots”, and ensuring trolley stock is “focused in the right area at the right time”.

The charge is the latest in a raft of fees levied by regional airports in the UK – for more information see In Focus in the February 2011 edition of Business Traveller.

For more information visit manchesterairport.com.

Report by Mark Caswell

Do you agree with the new charge? Take part in our poll here.

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