All UK airports should stop charging blue badge holders for being dropped off close to terminals, a disability charity has said.
The BBC investigated the issue after hearing from Disabled Motoring UK that the imposition of so-called “kiss-and-fly” fees was inconsistent.
The BBC said several people with blue badges got in touch after reports that more than half of the busiest airports had raised the fees to as high as £7 in some cases.
After contacting the 20 busiest airports in the UK, the BBC published a breakdown of charges and found:
- London City does not charge drop-off fees for any kind of passenger.
- Gatwick, Belfast City, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester all charge a drop-off fee, but blue badge holders do not have to pay it.
- Luton, Glasgow, Belfast International, East Midlands, Aberdeen, and Southampton all charge blue badge holders the same as other passengers for using the drop-off spaces closest to the airport. They do offer separate free drop-off parking specifically for blue badge holders elsewhere.
- For Glasgow and Aberdeen, this parking is only free if blue badge holders are being dropped off by family or friends – not if they are dropped off by taxi.
- All airports offer free drop-off options further from the terminals for all passengers – not just blue badge holders – such as “park and ride” facilities where people can leave their car and take a bus to the airport.
- Bristol, Leeds Bradford, and Bournemouth all charge blue badge holders for drop off but allow them to stay for longer than other passengers at a lower fee.
- Bristol charges £7 for 40 minutes, Leeds Bradford charges £7 for 60 minutes, and Bournemouth charges £5 for four hours because it said disabled passengers “may require more time”.
- Only Cardiff, Newcastle, and Stansted charge the same fee with no discount at all.
- Cardiff charges £3 for 10 minutes, Newcastle charges £5 for 10 minutes, and Stansted charges £7 for 15 minutes.
Graham Footer, chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK, told the BBC some airports have “allowed greed to cloud their judgement”, and argues people with disabilities should not have to pay the charge at all.
He said: “Disabled customers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and not fleeced as soon as they arrive.”
Airports UK, which represents the industry, said that the best accessible drop-off for blue badge holders depends on the layout of the airport. It advised passengers to check the airport’s website before travelling to identify the best drop-off location.