There were some interesting scenes at Edinburgh Airport recently when the new terminal make over was officially opened. At a cost of £40 million, the make over has certainly opened the eyes of many people who travel from Edinburgh on a regular basis.
But it has also re-opened the arguments surrounding the new drop off fee at the airport, which is due to be introduced soon. This has been known as the ‘kiss and fly’ fee, because it relates to the fact that some people are dropped off by family members in order to catch their flight.
In the past you could do this at no charge, but soon there will be a £1 fee for doing so that drivers will have to pay at Edinburgh Airport. So even if you don’t actually park for more than a few minutes you will still be charged for it.
News in the area in recent times has related to this charge and also to the reaction by Scottish ministers. They do not agree to the charge being put in place as they are trying to encourage people to use public transport to reach Edinburgh Airport instead. Whether or not this will actually happen is another matter, since reaching the airport with your luggage courtesy of public transport is a big deal. It can be very difficult to do it like this.
The idea is that when you arrive at Edinburgh Airport you have to go through a barrier that will record your car number plate. This will then be done again when you leave the area, and you will have to pay on the way out. The minimum charge is going to be £1, with the possibility of higher charges if you spend more than ten minutes or so in the area.
No doubt lots of drivers will see this as just another way for the airport to make money. It is hard to say how much additional revenue will be gained by doing this, but it is going to be a significant amount. No group is really in support of the changes – and certainly drivers will not be. It may be changed if enough bad feeling surrounds it but at present it looks to be going ahead. We find it hard to believe that any airport would go back on such a move once it has been announced, but it remains to be seen how it works in reality.