A BUSTLING airport has hit overnight travellers with doubled drop-off rates.
This regional hub is officially pricier than Heathrow, the biggest airport in the UK.
Bournemouth Airport has upped its short-stay pick-up and drop-off charges, with some fares doubled.
From June 1, motorists who use the pick-up and drop-off zone of the car park will now have to pay £8 for up to 30 minutes of parking – an increase of £2 from last year.
Stays between 30 and 60 minutes have doubled in price, now costing £15 to park, compared to £7.50 previously, with one to four-hour parking priced at £20.
Now, Bournemouth is charging more for its short stays than Heathrow Airport, despite being considerably smaller.
Sharp rises in costs, including tripling business rates, were cited by Bournemouth Airport when defending the price hike.
Bournemouth Airport introduced the charges overnight, giving no prior warning to visitors.
A taxi driver told Bournemouth Daily Echo: “They put it up last night with no notice.
“People flying in after the Easter holidays were being charged £8 to leave and had no idea what was going on.
“We had told customers it would be £6 – you cannot suddenly charge them more.”
Over a million holidaymakers fly from Bournemouth Airport every year, handling over 10,000 take-offs.
Passengers can fly to over 40 locations from the Mediterranean to North Africa.
Now, those hoping to jet off from Bournemouth this summer have shared their anger at the price hike, with flyers calling it “ridiculously expensive” and “madness”.
Others called it a “rip off” and a “con”, with some criticising that the quality of the car park does not warrant the cost.
A spokesperson for Bournemouth Airport told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “We understand that no-one welcomes increased charges, but our airport group is facing sharp rises in costs including a tripling of business rates, higher employment costs such as National Insurance and rising energy costs.
“At the same time, we continue to invest millions of pounds in maintaining the airport infrastructure needed to provide an essential public service in our regions.
“We cannot keep absorbing these increased costs without passing some of the additional burden on to our customers.”