Heathrow Airport will soon charge £5 for passenger drop-offs
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
All Uber, Addison Lee, black cab and other rides to Heathrow Airport are about to get more expensive. And, if a loved one is dropping you off at the departure hall curbside, they’ll have to pay a fee in order to do so.
As of October 2021, Heathrow Airport will start charging a £5 Terminal Drop-Off Charge for those who are dropped off outside airport terminals.
Sign up to receive the daily TPG newsletter for more travel news!
The new charge will apply to all vehicles — including taxis, Ubers, personal cars and more — entering the forecourt areas outside any of the airport’s terminals. The airport will use number plate cameras instead of ticket barriers to track which cars will owe the fee.
Those dropping off passengers will then be required to pay the £5 fee online or over the phone. Failure to pay the fee will result in Parking Charge Notices, according to the Sun.
“From October we will be introducing a Terminal Drop-Off charge that will support Heathrow’s post-pandemic recovery and enable us to meet our updated Surface Access objectives,” a Heathrow spokesperson said in a statement. “These changes will ensure we remain on track to reach our long-term goals of providing sustainable, affordable transport options into the future, whilst safeguarding the business financially as we look to recover from the crisis.”
Heathrow expects the new £5 drop-off fee to bring in about £100 million per year. There will be some exemptions to the compulsory fee, for example, for blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.
Related: All flights from Heathrow Airport are now nearly £10 more expensive
“This will not impact passenger pick-up, which should continue via the car parks, as picking up passengers is not permitted on the terminal forecourts,” the airport said in a statement.
For those looking to bypass the new £5 fee, which is set to take effect from October, there are still options. For example, passengers could be dropped off at any of the long-stay car parks and then take a free bus transfer to their terminal.
Heathrow Airport isn’t the first in the country to introduce such a fee. Earlier in the pandemic, both Manchester Airport (MAN) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) announced new fees for passengers. As of March 2021, Gatwick is charging £5 for pick-ups and drop-offs.
Related: Gatwick Airport fee for passenger drop-offs starting in March
Given that Uber in the U.K. now shows customers the cost of their ride up-front, passengers should be aware of the new £5 fee when the changes take effect later this year.
The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel and aviation industries, and airports are no exception. Heathrow Airport — once Europe’s busiest prior to the pandemic — said on Monday that its cumulative losses since the start of the pandemic have topped £2.9 billion.
Featured photo by Ilya Dmitryachev/Getty Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Offer ends 11/10/2021.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 11/10/2021.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.