How I Beat an Airport Drop-Off Fine

Earlier this year, I did a good deed and dropped a mate off at Heathrow T2 for their flight back to NZ. What I didn't do was pay the airport's new £5 drop-off fee.

Now, I’m no noob. I knew Heathrow (and most other grabby UK airports) have started charging for drop-offs. But I don’t do the run often, and I just plain forgot this time. There’s no payment option on-site, no glaring signage, not even a gate to prompt you on your way out — just the assumption that everyone remembers to go online after they drive home.

📬 The Fine

Fast forward 11 days, and a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) lands in my letterbox.

"£80 — reduced to £40 if I paid quickly."

Let’s break that down:

Original fee: £5
PCN amount: £80
% increase: 1,500%

No, thanks.

🛑 The Appeal

Instead of coughing up to a system clearly designed to catch people out, I challenged it. Found a solid appeal template online, fired it off to APCOA (the company that exploits UK car users), and waited.

One week later? Cancelled. No fuss.

Here’s the exact template I used — feel free to copy and adapt:

I appeal as the keeper of the vehicle registration mark [REGO]. I am not obliged to identify the driver and decline to do so.

APCOA parking is unable to transfer the driver’s liability (if any) to the keeper under Schedule 4 to the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (“POFA”) because the drop-off zones at [AIRPORT] are not ‘relevant land’ as defined in POFA. Furthermore, as keeper, I am entitled to all the defences available to the driver, including (without limitation) the following:
The parking charge is not notified until after the contract is entered into, and under the principles set out by the Court of Appeal in Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking, does not form part of any contract between the driver and yourselves;
The signage is not compliant with the BPA Code of Practice;
The car was present in the drop-off zone for not more than 5 minutes, and the driver is entitled to the 5-minute consideration period mandated by the BPA Code of Practice.

Any of the above reasons is sufficient to require cancellation of the PCN.

🥡 The Takeaway

If you’ve been stung by a PCN for forgetting to pay a drop-off fee, don’t panic — and don’t pay just yet. Fight it. The appeal process is straightforward, and in many cases, these charges don’t hold up under scrutiny.

These airport drop-off fees are little more than cash grabs dressed up as "traffic management." Don't let them mug you for £80 when a simple email can set it right.