There has been rising complaints by air travelers using the Belfast City Airport over increased parking fees. The complaint comes after a man was allegedly made to pay £70 in 24 hours after being ten minutes late.
The normal gate price for a 24 hour stay is usually £35. The man said that his flight from London Heathrow to Belfast airport was delayed, which led to his arriving ten minutes late. He was then charged for the second 24 hour stay. According to him, the operators at the airport claimed that by being ten minutes late he was already in the second 24 hour.
There have been reports that travelers at Northern Ireland pay more than they should and sometimes even up to four times the normal fees. Many users have launched numerous complaints recently saying that the fees they have had to pay are too much.
On the evening of 29th January, 2014, the airports spokeswoman said that the airport would look into the complaints before coming up with a solution.
Last year, Belfast airport made headlines when they introduced an extra £2 for taking an airport taxi to and from the terminal entrance. This happened after a local firm signed an exclusive contract with the airport to offer the service.
Yesterday, a well known business body came out and urged airports in North Ireland to consider reducing their parking charges.
The Policy chair of Northern Ireland Federation of Small Businesses, Wilfred Mitchell has also come out to defend travelers. He has asked the airports to act immediately in regard to the public complaints launched. He stated that it is costly for them to book flights through Northern Ireland as opposed to using the Ireland Route.