Teesside Airport has announced the result of a review into car parking charges, introducing the cheapest prices in the North of England with free parking for those visiting the Landside Café and Fairs-Lloyds Travel.
The use of parking charges is standard industry practice and these new fees have been kept to a minimum to offer passengers the best experience while ensuring the airport continues to be sustainable. The introduction comes after the hated £6 passenger facility tax was axed earlier this month.
A drop-off fee of £2.50 is now in operation but people can get it for free if they use the Landside Café.
The airport management team will keep parking charges under continuous review to ensure they deliver best value for passengers and remain competitive with rival airport across the north.
Newcastle Airport operates a £3 fee for ten minutes, or a £6 fee for up to 15 minutes’ parking. Leeds Bradford operates a £5 fee for the first ten minutes, rising to £7 for 10-20 minutes.
The airport is also encouraging people to park at the airport longer-term, with fees starting at £20 for three days, £25 for four days, £40 for seven days and £70 for two weeks. There are no booking fees and passengers can book quickly and easily online.
To ensure no one is left out of pocket, a discretionary grace period has been introduced, running until 1 September, meaning no one will be penalised for using the wrong car park as the changes bed in.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We have got rid of the hated Passenger Facility Fee and we offer the most competitively priced airport parking and drop-off fee over Newcastle £3, Leeds Bradford £3, Manchester £5 – and it’s free if you use the café.
“People have rightly pointed out that some other airports have free drop-offs miles away from the terminal, it would be the equivalent for us of people getting dropped off in Middleton St George and walking.
“We have made so much progress thanks to the fantastic team at the airport, over the past eight months we have welcomed Loganair, TUI and Ryanair along with securing partnerships with British Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Qatar Airways. These increased flights have helped us to scrap the fee, but we are still working hard to turn the airport’s finances around.
“Let’s not forget, if we had not bought the airport and saved it from closure the airport would be demolished by now and houses would be flying up as part of a 350-home housing estate on this car park.”
Teesside International Airport’s Managing Director, Phil Forster, said: “Sustainability is a key factor in creating an airport that Teesside can be proud of once again and after a full review we have decided to introduce these charges which are incredibly competitive for airports in the North.
“Fees like these are commonplace across the entire aviation industry and as we continue to grow our airport they will remain under review to make sure our passengers are getting the best value for money.
“Due to the anticipated increased footfall as our airline partners continue to introduce new routes on a regular basis, we have decided to implement a dedicated drop-off zone. This will help keep traffic moving smoothly and keep passengers safe. The drop-off fee will be used to help pay for the upkeep of the area.”
For more information, visit www.TeessideInternational.com
