Manchester Airport is under fire to amend its drop-off payment system, with drivers labelling it as unjust and a ‘rip-off’. Motorists have complained about massive queues to exit the car parks and malfunctioning barriers, which have caused them to exceed the 10-minute limit, resulting in a £25 charge.
The airport’s three terminals, T1, T2 and T3, all have drop-off payments in place. Drivers can drop off their loved ones directly outside the terminals for a fee of £5 for five minutes, increasing to £6.20 for up to 10 minutes.
However, any time beyond that triggers an ‘overstay charge’ of £25. A retired teacher from Bury shared his experience at T1 on Tuesday (September 24) morning with the Manchester Evening News.
READ MORE: Horror CCTV released of ‘amazing’ Brit dad killed with vodka bottle on stag do
Click for more of the latest newsfrom the Daily Star
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
He dropped off his step-son within 90 seconds but was stuck in traffic for more than 10 minutes due to heavy traffic and a faulty exit barrier. The 55-year-old, who has lodged complaints with both his MP and the airport, felt he had ‘no choice’ but to pay the £25 charge.
In response, Manchester Airport apologised for the inconvenience, stating a barrier had malfunctioned and those affected were eligible for refunds.
One irate driver recounted their experience at T1: “I dropped off my friends this morning and there was a massive queue to get out. They are ripping people off.
“I asked them how is that my fault, just because there is a massive queue to get out? I asked them why at the barrier and they said ‘because we are busy’. It only took me a minute to drop off my friends but longer than 10 minutes to get out. It’s just not fair.”
The retired teacher also blasted the current system, demanding a revamp so that charges reflect the actual time spent in the drop-off zone rather than queuing times. He branded the £25 fee he was slapped with as ‘absolutely outrageous’.
The anonymous man shared his ordeal on Tuesday: “I dropped off my step-son at T1 at 6.25am this morning. The actual drop-off took around 90 seconds, but the queue to leave the car park was huge. One barrier out of four wasn’t working and by the time I reached the barrier, I had been in the queue for over 10 minutes, so the charge was £25.
“There must have been 50 cars in the queue, most of them taxis. It’s just appalling. The charge should relate to the amount of time you spend dropping off, not the time you spend queuing to exit the car park.
“Paying £25 to drop someone off at the airport for 90 seconds is ridiculous – it’s wrong.
“I put my card in to pay and it said £25, you have no choice but to pay it to get out. The queuing element should not be charged. I was just incensed by it all.”
The charging system was introduced in July 2018 when the airport scrapped its free ‘kiss and fly’ drop-off lanes in favour of the payment scheme. Airport chiefs claimed the initiative was designed to ease severe congestion around the premises.
A complimentary drop-off area with shuttle buses is situated at the JetParks1 zone.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport stated: “A barrier failed in the drop off area of Terminal 1 this morning causing traffic to be held up on exit and although we opened other barriers and waived charges to alleviate the queue it resulted in a small number of vehicles being overcharged.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. All passengers affected by this morning’s issue are entitled to refunds and should use the feedback section of our website to begin the process.
“Forecourt drop-off charges help us to manage demand for access to our forecourts and reduce traffic congestion around the airport, which was a significant problem prior to the introduction of charges. We offer a completely free drop off service from our JetParks1 car park, just a five-minute shuttle bus ride from our terminals. The shuttle buses run regularly 24 hours a day.”