Eric Moffatt, 66, believes he’s being unfairly penalised after he had to use the toilet while dropping off his daughter and granddaughter at Manchester’s Terminal 2 car park
A granddad says an 18-second mistake left him being unfairly charged at a major UK airport.
Eric Moffatt, 66, was dropping his daughter and granddaughter at Manchester Airport before they flew home to Dubai on August 8.
The dad, who lives in Aigburth, Liverpool, drove them to Terminal 2’s drop off zone at 6.35am, but needed to use the toilet – which was a “fair walk away” from the car park. He then came back, said goodbye to his family and drove away. It comes after a ‘traumatised’ family are stranded at Palma Airport after being told they can’t board a Jet2 flight.
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The new parking rules at T2 say customers have 10 minutes for the price of £6.40. If they exceed the 10 minute limit, they have to cough up £25. Customers have up until midnight the following day to pay for the parking via the airport’s website.
Leaving the drop off zone at 6.45am, Eric was with the understanding he was inside the 10-minute allotted time, however after arriving home and going online to pay for the parking he found he had been charged £25, despite the parking receipt confirming his duration was 10 minutes, reports the ECHO.
After a closer look at the receipt, he discovered he had been parked up for 10 minutes and 18 seconds, taking him over the time limit. Eric believes he is “being penalised” for an 18 second mistake.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport says drop-off charges are enforced to help it manage demand for access to terminals and traffic congestion. It says it means these areas “remain efficient” even at busy times because people are not staying there for extended periods.
Eric says the mistake was made because of a health problem relating to his bladder. He said: “Me and my daughter were seeing my other daughter and granddaughter off, they live in Dubai. In March I had a health problem with my bladder which means I have to go to the toilet more than usual.
“I’d gone into the terminal to go to the toilet and the guy behind one of the desks pointed me in the right direction. They were right the way down a long corridor. I went back and said my goodbyes to my daughter and granddaughter.
“As soon as I got home I went on the website to pay the £6.40 charge but when I went to pay it it said mine was £25. I phoned up to question it and the guy told me I can appeal but if I lose the appeal I’ll be told to pay £60.”
Eric added: “When I investigated why I’d been charged over the 10 minutes it said I’d been 10 minutes and 18 seconds over. The guy on the phone said if you’re one second over the 10 minutes you’ll be charged £25. It just doesn’t seem fair when I was 10 minutes, I wasn’t 11 minutes.
“It is a new terminal, I didn’t know where I was going inside and I have a bladder problem – I feel like I’m being penalised twice for it. I’ve been charged £25 for 18 seconds, how is that fair?”
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “Drop-off charges help us to manage demand for access to our forecourts, where space is limited, and reduce traffic congestion. It means that the areas remain efficient even at busy times because people are not staying there for extended periods.
“We also offer a completely free drop-off facility by the nearby JetParks 1 car park. It is served by a 24-hour shuttle bus that runs every few minutes and takes less than six minutes to get to all three terminals.”
