Gatwick drop-off changes

There will be a charge for vehicles using Gatwick’s South Terminal forecourt introduced from today Monday (12 April), following its introduction at the North terminal last month.

The charge will be £5 for 10min, and £1 for each additional minute up to 20min.  The maximum charge will be £25 and the maximum length of stay 30min.  Blue badge holders and staff employed on the airport campus will be exempt from the charge.  Local commuters living in areas with limited public transport can also pay a £50 annual fee for two visits to the train station each day by registering.  
 
The charge was introduced at the airport’s North Terminal last month (8 March) and will provide the airport with a new revenue stream to help protect the business and preserve jobs.

Anyone who does not wish to pay the charge will be able to drop-off or pick-up passengers in the airport’s long-stay car parks with two hours free parking and a free shuttle bus to the terminal.

Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer, Gatwick Airport, said: “We know that a drop-off charge is not going to be popular with everyone, but we have just lost £465 million and more than 40% of our staff, so this new revenue stream will help us to protect the remaining jobs.

“We are also considering how to rebuild better and this charge has a role to play encouraging more sustainable journeys to the airport using our strong public transport connections.  Our investment in the new £150 million airport train station is also progressing well and will benefit anyone travelling to the airport by train and a proportion of the revenue raised through the forecourt charge will also support other new sustainable transport initiatives.”

Gatwick points out people picking up passengers should continue to do so from the short stay car parks as it often takes more time to collect passengers.  Short stay car park users are permitted a 30min stay for the same tariff (£5) as 10min on the forecourts.  

www.gatwickairport.com

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

Minesh Shah, Hounslow

Will Heathrow follow with charges? If it wants to win back passengers it needs to stay the way it is and not follow Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. I think London City is free too.