21-07-2025
Drivers are finding ways to dodge ‘appalling' drop-off charges at Scotland's airports
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DRIVERS are finding new ways to dodge drop-off charges following a hike in prices at two of Scotland's biggest airports.
It's a popular time for Scots to head on their summer holidays and fly out from both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
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Edinburgh Airport charges £6 for 10 minutes in the drop-off zone
Credit: Getty
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In Glasgow, the drop-off and pick-up zone fees were hiked and set at £6 for 15 minutes
Credit: Getty
However, just getting to the airport before even stepping foot in the terminal building has to be well thought out.
For those who live within driving distance of the terminal, getting a friend or family member to drop you off – and collect you upon your return – might seem like the easiest option.
However, as is the case with most airports across the UK, motorists in Scotland are required to pay to access designated zones close to the main terminal buildings.
Before reaching their destination, travellers must contend with the cost of being dropped off or picked up.
In Edinburgh, motorists will face a £6 charge for a 10-minute stay at a specific drop-off and pick-up zone. Every minute beyond that will cost £1.
The short-stay terminal car park at the capital's airport costs £7 for a 15-minute stay, rising to £14 for half an hour.
There is a free drop-off zone around half a mile from the main terminal building.
Drivers can park there for 30 minutes for free, but it costs £10 for up to an hour and £18 for between one and three hours.
In Glasgow, the drop-off and pick-up zone fees were hiked and set at £6 for 15 minutes, an increase of 50p.
Bosses previously urged anyone going over the time limit to use the short-stay car park, which costs £8 for 20 minutes and £15 for an hour.
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There is also a free drop-off in the long-stay car park, where holidaymakers can catch the free shuttle bus to the terminal.
Drivers are now looking for ways to dodge the fees.
In Edinburgh, motorists sit on Eastfield Road, which is a short distance from the airport, waiting to pick up family members and friends.
And when they get a text, they drive towards the Moxy or Hilton hotels and pick them up as they leave the airport complex - avoiding fines for parking on double yellow lines.
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Drivers regularly wait on Eastfield Road and collect family and friends at the hotels
Credit: Google
Caroline O'Brien, 52, who was waiting in a lay-by to pick up her husband and children from the airport, told BBC Scotland she had previously been charged £24 for under 30 minutes in the drop-off zone.
She said: "You don't know if the plane is going to be early or late in and I don't want them to be standing around.
"For pick-up and drop-off, I think a couple of pounds [would be fair]. You're only there a few minutes for them to get their cases and then right back in the car and away again."
Sheila McPheely, 79, waited in her car on another side street to collect her sisters from their holiday in Albufeira in Portugal.
She said the cost of the drop-off zone is "appalling"and was planning to pick her sisters up in the free drop-off point.
Sheila added: "It's just greedy. You pay enough for your flights and when you get in there, you get a tea or a coffee, so they are getting money from you that way.
"There is a bit you can park in that is free, but that is all very well if you are young and fit, but one of my sisters has a sore back, the other one is waiting for a hip operation, so it's difficult for them."
Gavin Marshall said he didn't realise the charge before he parked up in the drop-off area while waiting for his in-laws.
The 45-year-old said: "It's a bit extortionate, £1 per minute is a bit of a joke.
"The flat £6 I think is fair, this £1 per minute seems a bit silly, it's a bit much."
Edinburgh Airport told the BBC a free drop-off area was available.
And said passengers could choose whether to use the free or paid areas.
