Are airport charges a first-class rip-off?

Parking fees to drop off passengers at Birmingham Airport are among the highest in the country, according to new figures.

Airport bosses have defended charging drivers £1 for 10 minutes parking to drop passengers off which they say keeps the traffic flowing. The charge puts the airport as one of the most expensive in the country when it comes to the minute by minute cost. Cardiff and East Midlands charge the same as Birmingham, which comes to 10p a minute. Many other airports, including London's Heathrow charge high parking fees but allow people to drop passengers off for free if they stay inside their vehicles.

Birmingham Airport spokesman Justine Howl said: "Our Drop and Go car park is conveniently located outside the terminal and should be used for dropping off passengers only.

"A fee of £1 for 10 minutes was introduced to encourage people to access and exit the Drop and Go car park as quickly as possible and manage the flow of traffic in front of the terminal.

"We also offer 15 minutes free parking in our long-stay car parks, located just a short walk away from the terminal. People travelling to the airport to pick up passengers are urged to park in our short and medium stay car parks at just £3.70 per hour."

It comes after motoring groups criticised airports for charging high fees.

Figures showed 12 of the 22 major passenger airports in Britain were charging for the shortest stay.

The AA said that flying from the UK 'just seems like a licence to rack up a string of add-on charges'.

Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said that airport operators seemed to have a culture of 'money first, passengers second'.

Roger Lawson from the Association of British Drivers added: "Airports are in the position of having a monopoly. They can charge what they want for parking and people have to pay it. The charges should be regulated by an independent body.

"While we would not be opposed to all charges, we do oppose very high fees."

Birmingham Airport introduced the drop- off charge in 2007. It came after the airport closed its set-down roads in the wake of a terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport, where a burning Jeep was driven into its front.