Airport drop-off fee 'unjust'

Airport drop-off charges were embroiled in controversy at the weekend after a grammar school teacher who drove at a parking official at Manchester Airport was spared jail by a judge who said the fee was "unjust".

The BBC reported the teacher, who admitted dangerous driving, was given a six-month suspended sentence with Judge Bernard Lever describing the drop-off fees of £3 for five minutes or £4 for 10 minutes as an "absolute disgrace".

Manchester Airport said the judge was "irresponsible" and the outcome showed "complete disregard" for its staff.

The court heard a parking attendant ended up on the car bonnet and was driven several hundred yards when he tried to stop the driver leaving after the man refused to pay the fee, saying there were no clear signs indicating he should.

The incident happened two weeks after the charges were brought in. Similar schemes apply at other airports, including Stansted and Luton.

Manchester Airport, which said it introduced the fee to ease congestion, said it was "deeply concerned". "Anyone who has experienced an attack of this nature would be appalled by the judge's comments and attitude towards determining a suitable punishment for criminal driving," a spokesman said.

www.manchesterairport.co.uk

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

Mike Griffith, Oxford

Any parking attendant who steps in front of a vehicle to try to stop someone from leaving without paying £3 or £4 pounds has been very poorly trained. I was once the victim of an armed robbery while working at a Pizza Hut in the USA. Did I try to sacrifice my life to stop the guy from taking a few hundred dollars? Heck no, I gave him the money, which is exactly what we were trained to do. This is a rip-off charge and I am glad the Judge recognized it as such. Airports should be glad that we use their businesses and they should structure their charges to the airlines to cover their costs, which they probably already did. They just found another way to make money by harassing their customers. Well done Judge for calling them out on it!

Robert Shaw, Burgess Hill, UK

RIP off charge. Do they think we are stupid when they say it is for any other reason than being a money earner. As a matter of principal in do not use such airports. You do not see these in EU !

Stephen Hillcoat, Turkey

No one believes it’s about congestion! Luton airport, as another example, has never been able to manage its congestion through these ridiculous charges. It’s a £££ earner. Where is the income used - at the airport or it’s wider infrastructure.