This common airport parking mistake could cost you £100 this summer

Just doing a quick pick-up or drop-off at some UK airports could cost you up to £100 on your 2026 summer holiday if you make this expensive mistake in new barrierless airport car parks.

It’s already pricey just to use many airport drop-off lanes. Some of the most expensive, like London Gatwick and London Luton, now charge £10 for just a 10-minute slot in 2026.

But to add to the hassle, there’s something new to watch out for next time you’re using a drop-off: barrierless car parks. 

Instead of physical barriers with payment booths, barrierless car parks at airports including Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted now use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to track how long you park for and how much you owe.

Depending on the airport, you’ll need to remember to pay online or by phone, by the deadline of midnight the next day – or within 24 hours at Birmingham. 

But if you forget to pay on time, you’ll receive a parking charge. These vary between airports but can range from £80-£100 and are reduced if paid within 14 days. 

Read on to learn more about drop-off prices, free alternatives, how to set up autopay, and how to appeal parking charges.

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Are barrierless airport car park fines legal?

We previously reported that the legal basis for these fines has been challenged. 

In one case, a barrister challenged the legality of Heathrow’s £5 drop-off charge and avoided a fine for non-payment. Edward Levey, a King’s Counsel at a London chambers, neglected to pay Heathrow’s new £5 fee when dropping off his daughter at the end of last year. The following night, he realised he’d forgotten to pay, and this meant he was threatened with an £80 fine, reduced to £40 if he paid within 14 days. 

He admitted that there were many signs at the airport warning of the drop-off charge, but believed that – because it’s difficult to pay in the moment – many people will forget as soon as they get home. He attempted to appeal against the fine but parking firm APCOA, which runs the system for Heathrow, turned down his appeal and appointed a debt agency to recover the money.

The parking firm, APCOA, dropped the fine before the challenge went to court.

How to appeal a parking charge

First, appeal via the operator that issued your parking charge – for example, NCP or APOCA. It's likely you'll be given information on how to appeal in the letter or email you receive notifying you of the charge. Otherwise, look for an ‘appeals’ page on the website of the company that contacted you.

If your appeal is rejected by the operator, you should contact POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) within 28 days of the rejection notification. POPLA is a free, independent appeals service available across the UK for motorists who receive a ticket on private land by one of the British Parking Association’s approved operators. 

We’ve heard about charges being withdrawn both via appeals to the operator and via POPLA.

Before arriving at some airports, you can register for an AutoPay account, which automatically charges your card – but always check how much you’ve been charged at any barrierless car park. 

Barrierless car park fines

Most airports have a free, albeit less convenient, drop-off option you can use instead. We've shared details in the table below, but read our guide to getting cheaper drop-off airport parking for nationwide advice.

Drop-off charges and free parking alternatives last checked on 15 July 2026. A dash indicates we were unable to obtain this information.