Cork Airport reducing free set-down-only parking time ‘makes no sense’

CORK AIRPORT has reduced its free set-down-only parking time allowance by one-third, in a move that an advocate for older people in Cork said “makes no sense”.

Those dropping or collecting passengers will now be charged €3 if they remain in the set-down-only area for longer than 10 minutes, a five-minute reduction from the previous charge-free allowance of 15 minutes.

This tariff amendment was introduced on April 1, and will apply to all vehicles using the set-down area, excluding taxis and bus services.

Those who remain in the set down area from 11-20 minutes will be charged €3, increasing to €5 for 21 to 30 minutes, €10 for 31 to 60 minutes, and €20 for 61 to 120 minutes.

A fixed penalty notice of €120 will be issued for vehicles staying for longer than 121 minutes, leaving them subject to clamping and/or towing.

Since 2019, set-down charges and automatic number plate recognition have been in place for drivers dropping off or collecting passengers at the airport, with a cash or card payment point located at the exit barriers.

Traffic concerns

Cork Taxi Council spokesperson Bobby Lynch says the new time allocation will have no immediate impact on taxi services, but may have adverse effects on traffic management as more drivers will opt to park at alternative locations on the airport grounds.

“Ten minutes is very short, even 15 is quite short,” said Mr Lynch.

“People are coming into the airport and are hanging around at the roundabouts and hotels, and when the planes land they all come down together and there’s traffic jams.

“The reduction won’t make much of a difference, and what you’ll have now is people panicking because they only have 10 minutes,” he added.

'Makes no sense'

Paddy O’Brien, an advocate for older people in Cork told The Echo the decision “makes no sense”.

He said many people who are dropping elderly relatives off at the airport would want to go inside, help them with their bags, get them checked in, and get them up to security, all of which takes longer than the allocated free-of-charge time.

“It’s a great inconvenience for people, quite honestly,” said Mr O’Brien.

“Ten minutes is too short. With an elderly person, you can’t just stop at the park around and let them out to walk in alone.”

Cork Airport communications manager Barry Holland said the decision was made to change the set-down time “to ensure the smooth and efficient flow of traffic in a year when a record 3 million passengers are expected to travel through Cork Airport”.

He added: “For those collecting arriving passengers, drivers can avail of a free 15-minute period in the short-term multi-storey car park.

“While tariffs are in place to encourage the efficient flow of traffic in the ‘kiss and fly’ lane, 95% of cars that enter the set-down area are not charged and exit within the free time period provided.

“We believe that 10 minutes to drop off passengers is adequate, considering a free-of-charge period of 15 minutes is also offered in any of our car parks for drop-off or collection purposes.”