North Devon travellers hit as Bristol Airport drop-off among England’s most expensive

Bristol Airport has increased its drop-off parking fees, making it one of the most expensive airports in England for short stays. 

The rise has sparked concern among residents in North Devon, for whom Bristol is one of the closest airports, around 1 hour 50 minutes’ drive from Barnstaple.

The new charges make a short drop-off stay at Bristol more costly than at many other airports in the South West. 

The short stay car park now costs £8.50 for up to 15 minutes and £10.50 for 15-30 minutes. By comparison, Exeter Airport, around 1 hour 10 minutes from Barnstaple, charges £6 for up to 14 minutes in its closest drop-off area, while Cornwall Airport Newquay, around 2 hours 15 minutes’ drive away, allows 10 minutes free. 

London Gatwick recently overtook Bristol as the most expensive for drop-off parking, charging £10 for 10 minutes from Tuesday 6 January.

Bristol Airport said customers could use a free waiting zone for up to one hour, with a shuttle bus running every 15 minutes to the terminal from the adjacent car rental facility.

A spokesperson added that public transport options included the A1 Flyer bus to Bristol every eight minutes from 7am to 7pm, and every half hour overnight, and the A3 bus to Weston-super-Mare, running at least hourly at night.

“It’s not a decision we took lightly, but need to balance protecting people’s jobs as well as our commitment to improving the customer journey through new developments while advancing decarbonisation plans to achieve net zero operations by 2030,” the spokesperson said.

“We hope the increase price will help discourage high volumes of customers choosing to drop off and pick up, and instead encourage greater use of more sustainable transport options, including public transport.”

The airport offers a range of parking options. Its short stay car park is eight to ten minutes’ walk from the terminal. The Bristol Airport Flyer costs £15 for an adult return from Bristol or £7 from Weston-super-Mare. 

Free shuttle buses run from the waiting zone to the Transport Interchange, close to the terminal.

Local reactions to the changes were critical. 

Sheila Millar said the charges were “outrageous and unfair. It’s not as if it’s close to the airport now!”

Clive Williams compared the fees to Heathrow, saying: “Heathrow £7.00 for 10 mins.”

Andrew Colley described the changes as “just another way to fleece the public,” while Tim Watts called them “outrageous and inexcusable.”