A grandfather has been handed a fine after taking too long to drop his family off at Manchester Airport.
Eric Moffatt, 66, faced a penalty after taking his daughter and granddaughter to the airport on Friday, August 8, as they were flying back home to Dubai.
The father, from Aigburth, Liverpool, dropped his family at the Terminal 2 Drop Off at 6.35am and went to use the toilet inside the terminal.
Due to a bladder condition that requires frequent bathroom visits, Mr. Moffatt made a necessary stop at the restroom, a considerable distance from the drop-off area, he explained.
Upon returning to the parking area and going home, he went online to make the payment, only to discover he had been fined for exceeding the parking time limit by a mere 18 seconds.
As per the new drop off parking rules at Manchester Terminal 2, customers are allowed to park for up to 10 minutes for the price of £6.40.
Over this, they must pay £25 – a deterrent imposed by airport bosses to stop drivers loitering.
Customers have up until midnight the following day to pay for the parking via the airport’s website.
Eric Moffatt, 66, seen here, received a £25 fine at Manchester Airport for just surpassing the time limit when dropping off his family for their Dubai flight.
Leaving the drop off zone at 6.45am, Mr Moffatt believed he was inside the 10-minute allotted time.
Once back home, Mr. Moffatt accessed the parking payment system, expecting to settle the charge, and was surprised by a £25 fine, although the receipt indicated his stay was exactly 10 minutes.
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.
Mr Moffat believes he is ‘being penalised’ for his health issues.
He described, ‘I was accompanying my daughter and granddaughter, who reside in Dubai, to the airport. After experiencing a bladder issue in March, I need to use the bathroom more frequently.’
‘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.’
Instead of being charged £6.40 for the drop off at Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport (pictured), Mr Moffatt was charged £25
The grandfather (pictured) had parked at the at the Terminal 2 Drop Off but was forced to ‘walk a far way’ to the toilet which caused him to overstay
Mr Moffatt 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?’
Manchester Airport said its 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.
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.’
