Grandfather, 66, is fined after taking 18 SECONDS too long to drop off his family at Manchester Airport
Eric Moffatt, 66, was dropping his daughter and granddaughter at Manchester Airport on Friday, August 8, ahead of their flight to Dubai, where they live when he was slapped with the charge.
The father, from Aigburth, Liverpool, dropped his family at the Terminal 2 Drop Off at 6.35am and went to use the toilet inside the terminal.
The grandfather said he was forced to undertake the long walk to the bathroom because of a health problem relating to his bladder.
But after returning to the parking zone, and saying goodbye to his family, he realised he was just 18 seconds over the parking limit.
As per the new drop off parking rules at T2, customers are allowed to park for up to 10 minutes for the price of £6.40, over this they must pay £25. Customers have up until midnight the following day to pay for the parking via the airport's website.
Leaving the drop off zone at 6.45am, Mr Moffatt believed he was inside the 10-minute allotted time, however after arriving home and going online to pay for the parking he found he had been charged £25, despite the parking receipt confirming his duration was 10 minutes.
After a closer look at the receipt, he discovered he had been parked up for 10 minutes and 18 seconds, taking him over the time limit.
Mr Moffat believes he is 'being penalised' for his health issues.
He said: 'Me and my daughter were seeing my other daughter and granddaughter off, they live in Dubai. In March I had a health problem with my bladder which means I have to go to the toilet more than usual.
'I'd gone into the terminal to go to the toilet and the guy behind one of the desks pointed me in the right direction. They were right the way down a long corridor. I went back and said my goodbyes to my daughter and granddaughter.
'As soon as I got home I went on the website to pay the £6.40 charge but when I went to pay it it said mine was £25. I phoned up to question it and the guy told me I can appeal but if I lose the appeal I'll be told to pay £60.'
Mr Moffatt added: 'When I investigated why I'd been charged over the 10 minutes it said I'd been 10 minutes and 18 seconds over. The guy on the phone said if you're one second over the 10 minutes you'll be charged £25. It just doesn't seem fair when I was 10 minutes, I wasn't 11 minutes.
'It is a new terminal, I didn't know where I was going inside and I have a bladder problem - I feel like I'm being penalised twice for it. I've been charged £25 for 18 seconds, how is that fair?'
Manchester Airport said its drop-off charges are enforced to help it manage demand for access to terminals and traffic congestion. It says it means these areas 'remain efficient' even at busy times because people are not staying there for extended periods.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: 'Drop-off charges help us to manage demand for access to our forecourts, where space is limited, and reduce traffic congestion. It means that the areas remain efficient even at busy times because people are not staying there for extended periods.
'We also offer a completely free drop-off facility by the nearby JetParks 1 car park. It is served by a 24-hour shuttle bus that runs every few minutes and takes less than six minutes to get to all three terminals.'
RAC's top tips to avoid stress and high airport parking charges
Do your research: Check out the drop-off options on the airport's website to understand fees, how to pay and permitted waiting times. Terminal drop-off areas are likely to be the most expensive
Know how to pay: Understand how to pay before you leave for the airport. An increasing number of airports no longer allow you to pay on site, instead demanding you pay online or by phone within 24 hours afterwards. Set a reminder to do this to avoid a fine.
Keep your goodbyes short: Don't spend too long saying your farewells – otherwise they'll prove expensive if you go over the time limit.
Check your taxi fare includes a drop-off fee: If you're booking a taxi to take you to the airport, check to see where it drops you off and whether the fare quoted includes the airport's fee.
Never drop-off on a road inside the airport perimeter: Airports rigorously enforce no-stopping zones, so don't be tempted to save money by dropping off on a road inside the perimeter. Use the dedicated drop-off zone or another car park instead.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'Bus fares eat my budget': Under-22s join call for free travel
Young people have told the BBC the "extortionate" cost of bus travel in England means they socialise less and struggle to pay rent. A report by MPs has recommended everyone under the age of 22 should get free bus travel to help them get into work and education - similar to in Department for Transport says it is already spending "£1bn in multi-year funding to improve the reliability and frequency of bus services across the country".But the BBC has heard from people aged 22 and under who say bus fares are too expensive and eat into their food budget. 'I get hungry at college but can't afford snacks' Maisy Moazzenkivi, 18, lives in Coventry with her mum, dad and brother, and travels almost two hours each way to get to college, four days a has a disability bus pass because of her autism, meaning she pays less for travel than her friends. However, she still spends £8 a day on getting to college as her free travel allowance only kicks in after 09:30, half an hour after she needs to be says money she spends on travel eats into what she would otherwise spend on food and snacks throughout the day. "Sometimes, when I finish college I'm really hungry and just want to get a meal deal or something for the way home, but it's so expensive on top of everything. I'm very lucky that I can go home and my family can feed me, but not everyone has that." If bus travel was free, Maisy says she would be able to socialise more, and save for "luxury items". "I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, or an essential item, but one day, I'd love to save for a Juicy Couture tracksuit," she said. 'I don't understand how it's so extortionate' Gracie Moore, 22, lives in Slough and catches the bus every day to and from work, which costs her £120 a month."For someone who is not earning much more than minimum wage, it's quite a big expenditure," says Gracie who works as an administration assistant for a care home says the high cost of travel for young people makes it difficult to navigate having a job and a social costs are "absolutely" a factor which stop her from moving out from her family home, she says."I have less independence this way, but I'm paying so much less."Gracie previously lived in Madrid, where she enjoyed unlimited travel on bus, train, tube, and tram) for only €8 (£6.90) a month with a young person's travel card. "I don't understand how it's so extortionate here when other countries in Europe subsidise it so well," she says. "I just don't know how the price of transport here can be justified." 'Free bus pass would make a big difference' Originally from Nepal, Nikita Upreti, 20, is an international student studying at University College Birmingham. She says the rising price of travel means it is getting "harder" to pay for her bus pass each month. When Nikita first moved to Birmingham in September 2024, a monthly bus pass with a student discount cost her £49. Now, it costs her £53."The student discount is not helping us anymore," she says. Nikita also works 20 hours a week as a waitress. Despite working the maximum amount of hours her university will allow her to while studying, she still struggles to pay her rent while juggling the rising cost of living. She says that free bus travel "would make a big difference" to her life. "I could spend the money I save on groceries and things that would help my education. It would be really helpful."
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
The five airport rip-offs to avoid this summer
Holidays are supposed to be relaxing, but getting away can be anything but. Once you've made it to the airport, you are faced with hidden charges and high prices that can leave you out of pocket before you even get out of the country. Oversized luggage, lengthy airport queues and parking are all lucrative money makers for airlines, while even a short time spent in an airport can add huge costs to your holiday bill. Here are some of the most common pitfalls that catch passengers out, and how to avoid them. Long gone are the days when a flight ticket covered all the costs associated with getting on a plane. The advertised price of a flight is just the tip of the iceberg, with extra costs for essentials such as luggage and somewhere to sit quickly racking up. Most airlines charge for the luxury of choosing your seat — particularly annoying for families who are travelling with children. You can often wait until check-in and get a seat free, running the risk of being seated separately, but some airlines give you no option but to pay for a seat if you are travelling with a young child. Airlines are raking in cash from these charges for seats. The best way to beat them is to check in as early as possible for the best chance of getting seats together — unless you are flying with Ryanair. Most airlines say they make every effort to sit groups together but Ryanair says its seat allocation is completely random. (Some passengers claim it deliberately seats groups separately.) Most ensure that children are seated next to at least one adult from their booking, although the age requirements vary between companies, and, as mentioned, some have compulsory charges. Once on board you'll have to pay if you want wi-fi. Airlines including British Airways, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic charge from £5 to more than £20 for wi-fi access, with the cost varying on whether a flight is long or short-haul. And you won't get a refund for a slow connection, although some will refund you if the wi-fi didn't work — but this can be hard to prove. Airlines have to get you on a replacement flight or refund your money (which can be as a voucher) if they cancel your flight. But you may not get your money back for any extras booked alongside, such as airport parking. Airlines including Jet2 and Ryanair offer airport parking when you book your flight, but like with any third-party service, you should check your refund rights. While Jet2 allows parking cancellations up to the time of your flight, giving you a voucher or cash refund, if your flight is cancelled or changed, Ryanair's car park bookings are non-refundable. In February Ian and Gaye Orford booked return flights from Stansted to Tenerife for a golf trip next January. The couple, 57 and 59, paid £608.41, which covered luggage (including their golf bags) and parking, with the latter costing £67.49. Ian, a retired computer programmer, said they regularly booked parking through Ryanair because it was usually £10 cheaper than going directly through the airport. But Ryanair emailed in July to say their flight had been rescheduled to seven hours later and they would now arrive at their hotel after midnight, so they asked for a refund and booked with another airline. Although Ryanair refunded the flights, it refused to refund them the parking. 'If you had booked directly with Stansted, you can change for free, and I guess we just assumed the same deal with this,' Ian said. Ryanair said because the booking was with Stansted Airport, the Orfords needed to contact the airport to request a refund. Stansted Airport said because the booking had been made through a third party, it was governed by Ryanair's terms and conditions. • Parking private jet at Edinburgh airport 'cheaper than a car' 'Through no fault of our own, we're out of pocket and we apparently have no recourse,' said Ian, who intends to only book parking with the airport directly in future. Booking fees for plane seats can also be non-refundable, such as with BA. It will refund your seat fees if it cancels your flight, but not if you do, even if the flight itself can be refunded. Rhys Jones from the frequent flyer advice site Head for Points said these fees can be as much as £62 per person on long-haul business class flights. He said: 'It doesn't seem particularly fair to keep seat selection fees for someone who no longer needs those seats because they've cancelled their flight.' There is no consistency on baggage allowances between airlines. And if you have booked through one airline, but American Airlines or Iberia actually operates the flight, their baggage rules will apply. BA allows a maximum cabin bag of 56cm x 45cm x 25cm while Iberia, part of BA's parent company International Airlines Group (IAG), has a limit of 56cm x 40cm x 25cm. BA's 'partner' American Airlines' allowance is 56cm x 36cm x 23cm. And while BA allows a cabin bag weighing up to 23kg, its IAG stablemate Vueling only allows up to 10kg, along with slightly smaller dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Check who you are flying with and the baggage allowance to avoid a bill at the gate. Wizz Air charges £13 for every kilogram you exceed the cabin or hold baggage allowance, easyJet £12, Ryanair £13 and BA £65 for each oversized bag. Jo Rhodes from the consumer group Which? said there had been many cases where passengers who thought they had the right sized bags were still charged. Swissport, which runs cargo handling and passenger services across 276 airports, easyJet and Ryanair have been in the news this summer for reportedly paying commission to staff who catch out passengers with oversized luggage. 'We've heard of passengers being forced to pay nearly £50 extra for having too big a bag, despite it meeting the required measurements,' Rhodes said. 'It can feel like you won't be granted entry on to the flight unless you stump up the money, so we would advise you to keep the receipt and take a photo of the bag from different angles in the sizer (rather than at the time of boarding, so the airline doesn't claim you've removed items) to challenge it afterwards.' • Hand luggage: Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways policies explained Doing pretty much anything at the airport is likely to cost more than anywhere else. While checking in online beforehand is free, Wizz Air charges £36.50 and Ryanair £55 for checking in at the airport, which they claim covers the cost of servicing airport check-ins. Wizz Air said: 'We aim to make check-in simple for passengers and provide instructions during the booking process, on the Wizz Air website and via email reminders on how to check-in online to avoid fees.' Most big airports now offer to 'fast-track' you through security using a separate lane. Costs range from £5 at Belfast International to £12.50 at Heathrow, depending on how far in advance you book. Rhodes said: 'Fast-track security may seem like a tempting way to beat the queues, but in reality it's not worth shelling out for because you won't save that much time. Fast-track is also not always guaranteed at peak times, such as the school summer holidays, and can come with other conditions, like not allowing buggies, which will be impractical for young families.' • The best airlines in the world — according to you As anyone who has ever bought a bottle of water just before boarding will know, airport shopping can be pricey, even though some things (including bottled water) are free of VAT. Passengers are often sceptical about whether duty-free really represents a saving — and the experts agree. Jones said: 'I've compared prices, especially for alcohol, and often found that airport duty-free is the same price or only marginally cheaper than some of the more competitive supermarkets. The bottom line is that it's always worth doing a quick price comparison before your trip to make sure you're getting a good deal.' For those without hold luggage and who have to stick to the 100 millilitres of liquid rule for cabin bags, there could be a cheaper alternative to expensive travel-sized toiletries or buying them after going through security. Boots has a click and collect service where you can order items at normal retail prices and pick them up at 15 airports, after security, for a £4.50 delivery fee. If your flight is cancelled items are returned to the warehouse after seven days and you will be your holiday rip-off pet peeve? Let us know in the comments below
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Summer trains misery with commuters facing ‘wrong soil' hell after clay under tracks dries up
RAIL commuters face 'wrong soil' hell after clay under tracks dried up so much that trains have to go slow. Services between parts of Essex and London will be hit for two to three months. Similar problems have affected the West Country after the driest spring since 1974. Infrastructure manager Network Rail said it had dropped 12,600 tons of ballast to minimise clay shrinkage on the Essex route in the past year. But this had not been enough to solve the problem. It said speed restrictions had been introduced 'to keep everyone moving safely'. One commuter said: 'I've heard of leaves on the line and the wrong type of snow. "Now the delays are due to the wrong type of soil.' Network Rail Anglia and c2c Railway, which run services across the network, apologised for the disruption. Buses will replace Greater Anglia trains for some late evening journeys on Mondays to Thursdays. Watch the shocking moment cow puts Irish Rail services to a HALT during morning rush 1
