Being dropped at the terminal door now costs money at almost every major airport serving South Buckinghamshire, and each one runs its own clock, its own price steps and its own penalty. This guide sets out the charges for Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, Birmingham and Bristol, with a link to each airport's official page. All figures are correct as of September 2026; airports change them with little notice, so check the linked page before you travel.
- Heathrow charges £7 per entry with no stated time limit; Gatwick starts at £10, Luton at £9, Stansted at £10 and London City at £8.
- Payment is due by midnight the day after your visit everywhere; unpaid or overstay notices run from £80 to £100 before any early-payment discount.
- Each London airport has a free alternative in a car park with a shuttle bus, and a fixed-fare transfer includes the terminal charge in the price.
How much is the drop-off charge at each airport?
The table compares the kerbside charge, the longest you may stay and what happens if you do not pay or overstay. Birmingham and Bristol work differently, using barrier or camera-controlled car parks beside the terminal rather than a charged forecourt, so they have their own section below.
| Airport | Charge | Maximum stay | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | £7 each time you enter | No limit stated; no waiting | £80 unpaid (£40 within 14 days) |
| Gatwick | £10 for 10 min, then £1 a minute | 30 min (£30 daily cap) | Parking Charge Notice if unpaid |
| Luton | £9 for 12 min, then £1 a minute | 30 min | £95 for overstaying (£55 within 14 days) |
| Stansted | £10 up to 15 min; £28 over 15 min | 15 min allocated | £100 unpaid (£60 within 14 days) |
| London City | £8 for 5 min, then £1 a minute | 10 min | £100 for overstaying (£60 within 14 days) |
Heathrow: £7 every time you drive in
Heathrow charges £7 each time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off zone at Terminals 2, 3, 4 or 5, according to its terminal drop-off charge page. There is no minute limit, but the forecourts are for dropping off only: waiting and pick-ups are not allowed, and an unattended car will be removed. Two entries mean two charges, so if you drop one person at Terminal 5 and another at Terminal 3, that is £14.
Payment is by card only, online, by phone or through autopay, by midnight on the day after your visit. Non-payment brings an £80 Parking Charge, reduced to £40 if you pay within 14 days. The free option is Heathrow's Park & Ride car parks, formerly called Long Stay, where passengers take a free bus to the terminal. For a door-to-door alternative from SL9, see our Gerrards Cross to Heathrow taxi page, a journey of around 20–35 minutes.
Gatwick: £10, then the meter runs to a £30 ceiling
Gatwick's drop-off page sets a minimum of £10 for 10 minutes in the North and South Terminal forecourt zones, then £1 for each extra minute for up to 20 more minutes. The maximum stay is 30 minutes and the maximum daily charge is £30. In practice a 20-minute goodbye costs £20.
Pay by midnight the following day or a Parking Charge Notice is issued through Times24, the company that runs the scheme for the airport. Registered Blue Badge holders are exempt. If you need longer, Gatwick's Long Stay car parks are free for two hours with a shuttle bus to both terminals.
Luton: 12 minutes for £9
London Luton's dropping-off page lists £9 for the first 12 minutes in the terminal Drop Off Zone, then £1 per minute, with a 30-minute maximum stay. Payment is online only, by midnight the following day. Staying beyond 30 minutes brings a £95 enforcement charge, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days.
The free choice is the Long Stay car park, where up to two hours costs nothing and a shuttle bus runs to the terminal every 20 minutes, around the clock. There is no Blue Badge concession in the main zone, but holders get 30 minutes free in Terminal Car Park 1. Some older pages, including earlier versions of this guide, quoted £7 for 10 minutes; that tariff no longer applies.
Stansted: the 15-minute cliff edge
Stansted's Express Set Down is the charge most likely to catch people out. The airport's pick-up and drop-off page shows £10 for up to 15 minutes and £28 for anything longer, so a slow unload with a heavy family case can nearly treble the bill. There are no barriers or machines: cameras record the plate and you pay online or by phone by midnight the day after.
An unpaid visit leads to a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 within 14 days. Blue Badge holders are not exempt, though traffic marshals can help anyone who needs more than the allocated 15 minutes. The Mid Stay car park has a free drop-off area for the first hour, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal.
London City: five minutes, ten at most
London City now charges for its terminal forecourt. Its drop-off page lists £8 for up to 5 minutes and £1 per minute after that, with a hard maximum of 10 minutes, so the most a normal visit can cost is £13. Pay by midnight the day after. Drivers who stay past 10 minutes face a £100 enforcement charge, reduced to £60 within 14 days.
Registered Blue Badge holders get 10 minutes free on the forecourt, or an hour free in the Pick Up area. London's black cabs pay a slightly lower £7 rate. From Gerrards Cross the drive to the Royal Docks takes around 70–95 minutes, which is covered on our Gerrards Cross to London City taxi page.
What do Bristol and Birmingham charge?
Bristol uses a barrier-controlled Drop Off & Pick Up car park on the Transport Interchange rather than a charged road. The Bristol Airport tariff starts at £8.50 for up to 10 minutes, rising to £10.50 for 10 to 20 minutes, £13 for 20 to 40 minutes and £30 for 40 to 60 minutes. Blue Badge holders get up to 40 minutes for £8.50. The Waiting Zone car park is free for up to an hour, with a shuttle bus, and stopping on the red routes around the airport risks a £100 charge, reduced to £60 within 14 days.
Birmingham runs a paid Premium Set Down area beside the terminal and a cheaper Drop Off car park reached by a covered walkway. Its tariffs have changed more than once in recent years, so read the current tariff on the Birmingham Airport parking pages before you set off. Both airports are a longer run from South Bucks: around 1 hour 35 minutes to Birmingham and 2 hours to Bristol in free-flowing traffic.
What happens if you forget to pay?
Nothing happens on the day, which is why so many drivers forget. The cameras log the number plate, and if payment has not arrived by midnight the day after, a notice is posted to the registered keeper. That is usually the friend or relative who gave you a lift, not the passenger. Setting up autopay with the airport before the trip removes the risk; Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted all offer it.
These are parking charges issued by the airports' contractors, not council fines. You can appeal through the operator named on the notice, but paying within 14 days is the only way to get the lower amount.
Is Heathrow inside the ULEZ?
Yes. Heathrow sits in the London Borough of Hillingdon, and TfL's Ultra Low Emission Zone covers all London boroughs, operating 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. A car that does not meet the standards pays £12.50 for the day on top of the drop-off charge. The M25 itself is outside the zone. Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield and the Chalfonts are in Buckinghamshire, outside the zone, so the charge only arises once the car is driven on roads inside Greater London.
Do taxis and private hire cars have to pay?
Yes. Heathrow is explicit that black cabs and private hire vehicles pay £7 on every entry, and London City lists a separate rate for black cabs. How that reaches you depends on the operator: some add it to the meter or the fare on the day. Our fixed-price taxis include any terminal drop-off charge in the quote, so the price agreed when you book is the price you pay, with nothing to settle online the next day.
If you are comparing a lift from family, a taxi and parking for a week away, our breakdown of airport parking against a taxi puts the costs side by side, and the Heathrow park, stay and fly guide covers the hotel option. Passengers with limited mobility may find our notes on booking taxis for less-mobile travellers useful alongside the Blue Badge concessions above.
How to avoid paying at all
The cheapest drop-off is in each airport's designated free car park, accepting a bus ride to the terminal. That works for a solo traveller with a carry-on; it is less appealing at 5am with two children and four cases. Being dropped at the kerb in a pre-booked car keeps you next to check-in, and for trips from the Chilterns our airport transfers cover all seven airports in this guide with the charge already priced in.