Compare popular UK airport drop off & pick-up charges for 2024
If you're travelling to a UK airport in 2024 to drop off or pick-up a passenger you should be aware of the likely charges and what free options are available.
We've researched the drop off/pick-up options at 27 of the UK's most popular airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh plus regional airports such as Southampton, Bristol and Newcastle.
- FREE airport drop off at UK airports
- Cheapest UK airport drop off charges
- Additional FREE drop off/pick-up options
- Most expensive drop off charges
- Drop off & pick-up charges by region
- Research data sources
Note: all prices and times are correct as of 18 July 2024.
Free airport drop off at UK airports
There are currently five popular UK airports offering free drop off at the terminal with just two airports, Humberside and Inverness, offering free pick-up.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Humberside | Yes | Yes | Free | 15 | £5.00 | 60 |
| Inverness | Yes | Yes | Free | 10 | £3.50 | 30 |
| Birmingham | Yes | No | Free | 10 | £7.50 | 60 |
| Cardiff | Yes | No | Free | 5 | £2.00 | 20 |
| London City | Yes | No | Free | 5 | £6.90 | 20 |
Teesside Airport offers free parking for up to 2 hours when you spend at least £5 in the terminal. Present your receipt to claim the offer.
Cheapest UK airport drop off charges
Beyond the airports offering free drop offs (shown above) the following UK airports have the cheapest drop off charges. Newcastle, Prestwick and Belfast City all allow pick-ups within the time allocated.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Newcastle | Yes | Yes | £4.00 | 10 | £7.00 | 15 |
| Glasgow Prestwick | Yes | Yes | £4.00 | 60 | n/a | n/a |
| Belfast City | Yes | Yes | £3.00 | 10 | £5.00 | 60 |
| Belfast International | Yes | No | £3.00 | 10 | £4.00 | 20 |
| Teesside | Yes | No | £2.50 | 10 | £5.00 | 60 |
Outside of the airports offering free drop offs, Glasgow Prestwick Airport offers the best value drop off and pick-up charges with 60 minutes for just £4.
Additional FREE drop off/pick-up options
If you want a little longer time for your drop off or pick-up and you’re prepared to be a little further away from the terminal, the following popular UK airports offer free drop off and pick-up options.
| Airport | Car park | Time (mins) | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Long stay | 60 | 5 min walk or 2 min transfer |
| Belfast City | Long stay | 10 | 5 min walk |
| Bristol | Waiting zone | 60 | 7-9 min transfer |
| Cardiff | Lon stay | 20 | 6 min walk |
| East Midlands | Long stay | 60 | 15-20 min walk |
| Edinburgh | Long stay | 30 | 10 min walk |
| Glasgow | Long stay | 60 | 7 min walk or 5 min transfer |
| Liverpool | Drop off 2 | 20 | 7-8 min walk |
| London Gatwick | Long stay | 120 | 10-12 min transfer |
| London Heathrow | Long stay | 29 | 10-20 min transfer |
| London Luton | Mid stay Long stay |
20 60 |
5 min transfer 10 min transfer |
| London Stansted | Mid stay | 60 | 7 min transfer |
| Manchester | Jetparks 1 | n/a | 5-6 min transfer |
| Southend | Long stay | 15 | 3-5 min walk |
Most expensive UK airport drop off charges
Below are the most expensive drop off charges at UK airports with London Stansted top of the list with a £7 charge for up to 15 minutes. This is followed by Leeds Bradford at £6.50 for up to 10 minutes for both drop offs and pick-ups.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| London Stansted | Yes | No | £7.00 | 15 | £10.00 | 30 |
| Leeds Bradford | Yes | Yes | £6.50 | 10 | £13.00 | 60 |
| London Gatwick | Yes | No | £6.00 | 10 | £6.00 | 30 |
| Bristol | Yes | No | £6.00 | 10 | £6.00 | 30 |
| Southampton | Yes | Yes | £6.00 | 20 | £12.00 | 60 |
| Aberdeen | Yes | No | £5.50 | 15 | £5.00 | 20 |
| Glasgow | Yes | Yes | £5.50 | 15 | £7.00 | 20 |
Airport drop off & pick-up charges by region
Explore the airport drop off and pick-up charges for popular airports across the UK by region. Check out the options at the terminal and at the short stay car park. In most cases there is just a short walk to the terminal building.
London
Of the five London airports, only London City offers free drop off at the terminal. None of the airports allow pick-ups at the terminal. Charges range from £5 to £7 for drop off at terminals with all airports offering drop off and pick-up at the short stay car parks.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| London City | Yes | No | Free | 5 | £6.90 | 20 |
| London Gatwick | Yes | No | £6.00 | 10 | £6.00 | 30 |
| London Heathrow | Yes | No | £5.00 | n/a | £7.50 | 29 |
| London Luton | Yes | No | £5.00 | 5 | £9.50 | 30 |
| London Stansted | Yes | No | £7.00 | 15 | £10.00 | 30 |
England
The majority of airports in England charge £5 for drop offs at the terminal with just Humberside and Birmingham offering drop offs for free. Leeds Bradford, Bristol and Manchester are the most expensive English airports outside of London.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Birmingham | Yes | No | Free | 10 | £7.50 | 60 |
| Bournemouth | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 30 | £5.00 | 30 |
| Bristol | Yes | No | £6.00 | 10 | £6.00 | 30 |
| East Midlands | Yes | No | £5.00 | 15 | £6.00 | 30 |
| Exeter | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 30 | £5.00 | 30 |
| Humberside | Yes | Yes | Free | 15 | £5.00 | 60 |
| Leeds Bradford | Yes | Yes | £6.50 | 10 | £13.00 | 60 |
| Liverpool | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 10 | £8.00 | 30 |
| Manchester | Yes | No | £5.00 | 5 | £6.00 | 30 |
| Newcastle | Yes | Yes | £4.00 | 10 | £7.00 | 15 |
| Norwich | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 30 | £5.00 | 30 |
| Southampton | Yes | Yes | £6.00 | 20 | £12.00 | 60 |
| Southend | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 10 | £8.50 | 30 |
| Teesside | Yes | No | £2.50 | 10 | £5.00 | 60 |
Scotland
Only Inverness Airport offers free drop offs and pick-ups at the terminal. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is the best value drop off with £4 for up to 60 minutes wait time.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Aberdeen | Yes | No | £5.50 | 15 | £5.00 | 20 |
| Edinburgh | Yes | Yes | £5.00 | 10 | £6.00 | 15 |
| Glasgow | Yes | Yes | £5.50 | 15 | £7.00 | 20 |
| Glasgow Prestwick | Yes | Yes | £4.00 | 60 | n/a | n/a |
| Inverness | Yes | Yes | Free | 10 | £3.50 | 30 |
Wales
Cardiff Airport offers free drop off within 5 minutes with longer stays and pick-ups from the short stay car park at just £2 for the first 20 minutes.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Cardiff | Yes | No | Free | 5 | £2.00 | 20 |
Northern Ireland
Both Belfast airports charge £3 for drop off with Belfast City also allowing pick-ups as long as you only stay for 10 minutes. If you need longer there is a short stay car park available.
| Airport | At terminal | Short stay option | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off | Pick-up | Price | Time (mins) | Price | Time (mins) | |
| Belfast City | Yes | Yes | £3.00 | 10 | £5.00 | 60 |
| Belfast International | Yes | No | £3.00 | 10 | £4.00 | 20 |
Research data sources
All prices and times have been extracted from the official airport websites and are correct as of 18 July 2024. Information is subject to change and is published for guidance only. We recommend checking drop off/pick-up prices and times at time of travel.
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