Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Empey and Baroness O'Loan

Report stage
Monday 13th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Empey (UUP)]

My Lords, in support of the arguments advanced by the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, we discussed this in Committee among those of us who regularly use airports. As I recall, this phenomenon of airport drop-off charges started off at £1 not that long ago—in fact, some airports had a basket and the thing opened when you threw in the £1, and that was it—but it is now a significant expense and has moved on to £3 or £5, with some airports charging £8.50 or even more. The way this is going is in one direction.

Now, we understand that businesses have to survive and make money, but, if I may refer the House to the arguments put forward at the beginning of Report today on economic growth, this is not only a business cost but a tax on tourism and an inhibitor. It is becoming a significant issue, when you add in parking charges and so on.

We would all love people to be able to get to airports by public transport, but, very often, public transport is not integrated into airports in the way that we have all seen in other parts of the world. If you go to Schiphol, the trains run through the terminal, but that is not the case for many airports here. Realistically, if you come from a rural area or if a family with kids and a load of stuff are going on holiday, there is little opportunity to save on that cost. The noble Lord, Lord Moylan, has also made the point about disabled passengers, of whom we have spoken significantly, but this is not confined to people with physical disabilities; it is a charge on everybody and, in my opinion, the risk is that it just gets completely out of control.

My amendment has slightly different timescales and so on from that of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, but that is neither here nor there. The fundamental point is that this revenue stream did not exist a relatively short time ago. It is rapidly increasing and it will continue to increase, either because the airports feel that it is a way of making money or because some people think that a policy that forces people away from the drop-off and on to public transport has its own advantages. However, that applies only in limited cases, and it is certainly not universally spread around the country.

In short, we need to take steps to get this matter under control. It is not a dramatic change in policy, but if we are focusing on economic growth, this is a business cost and is no different, in effect, from any other charge. I sincerely hope that the Minister will reflect and acknowledge that this is an area of activity that is growing and is currently out of control.

[Baroness O'Loan (CB)]

My Lords, I support the noble Lords, Lord Moylan and Lord Empey, on this issue of parking charges. In Belfast City Airport, which I use every week, there is a £4 charge to drop someone off, but if you are longer than 10 minutes, it rises to more than £20. The alternative is to use the short-stay car park.

I would just like to tell noble Lords what I paid for five visits over 14 days in June: for eight minutes, I paid £12; for 12 minutes, I paid £6.50; for 20 minutes, I paid £7; for 12 minutes, I paid £8; and for 13 minutes, I paid £8. So I wrote to the airport to ask how I was supposed to know what I would have to pay. I had already checked the website, which tells you that it costs £4 to drop someone off, but it does not tell you that you need to do so within 10 minutes. I got an email back from the airport, which said something really quite strange:

“we have introduced flexible drive-up rates in our Short Stay Car Park, meaning prices may vary depending on peak times and availability. These prices are displayed on the boards … Our three on-site car parks provide flexible options”.

I cannot understand what is meant by “flexible drive-up rates” and “prices may vary depending on peak times and availability”. The amount that we are being charged seems to be a figure that is pulled out of a hat.

I do not think that that is satisfactory, and there is a need for regulation on this. Customers coming into the airport—particularly the elderly and the disabled—have a difficulty in managing to get out quickly. Another aspect is that people who have to wait for baggage depend on the availability of baggage handlers to put their baggage on to the carousel in order to allow them to get out to the pick-up point where someone is picking them up. Sometimes you can wait for 10 or 15 minutes, and then you are into big-money charges.