Manchester Airport has been forced to respond after its drop off-zone rules were slammed as ‘senseless’ after a row involving a driver was shared by a furious taxi firm online.
The driver, who works for the Nolan Airport Service, became embroiled in the disagreement with car park marshals at the Terminal 3 drop off point on Sunday night (January 5). The incident was then filmed and posted on social media.
It is understood that the driver had been called to collect three women, who all have disabilities, mobility issues, and have appropriate disabled blue badges, and had pre-arranged to meet them at the drop off-zone at the airport terminal instead of the pick-up area, located in a different nearby car park.
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Manchester Airport stipulates that drop off charges range from £5 for five minutes, to £6.20 for ten minutes. It is free for blue badge holders. The website states that drivers attempting to pick up passengers in the drop off area will face a £100 charge, applied on exit.
But John Nolan, who runs the Nolan taxi firm and has done for 36 years, has slammed the airport for ‘lack of common sense’, claiming that the drop off-zone was an easier point of collection for the three women who could ‘barely walk’ due to their mobility issues, as they would’ve been unable to easily reach the designated area in the multi-storey.
In response, Manchester Airport said that after landing, passengers, including those with mobility issues or disabilities, should still always use the designated pick up-zone, and that their reduced mobility teams are clearly signposted to provide support, free of charge, in aiding them through the baggage collection zones and on to the correct car park for collection.
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John said: “I dropped the ladies off when they went on holiday. All three of them are disabled and have difficulty walking. They aren’t very able.
“I asked a marshal if we would be okay to pick them up from the T3 drop off area when they came back, and he said it would be alright due to their disabilities.
“Then, on Sunday, my driver went to pick them up after they rang him and said they were waiting at the doors. My driver went round for them and one of the marshals was there.
“[My driver] told him he was picking up three disabled ladies, to which he was told it would be a £100 fine. He told them he has been working for us for two-and-a-half years and has done this, on occasion, before, for other passengers with disabilities.”
The video, shared by John on social media, was captioned: “This is how the Marshals at Manchester Airport treated my driver Akmel last night at Terminal 3. He was picking up 3 disabled ladies who could hardly walk.
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“They told him he wasn’t allowed to pickup at the dropping off point (something we have been allowed to do for years) or he would get a hundred pound fine. They told him they had to go to the pickup area that is a long walk for them. Surely they could show some consideration for disabled elderly people.”
In the clip, the driver can be heard saying “Mate, I’ve told you the score, I’ve done this for two-and-a-half years” before asking the women to show evidence of their blue badge passes.
“They are disabled, there’s three of them, and now they are going to have to get out because of these guys over here. She can barely walk and you’re going to make them go to level three, yeah?”
Taxi firm owner John added: “Yes we know it says you can’t pick up there – but walking across to the T3 multi storey for someone who isn’t able doesn’t make sense. All of them had blue badges and showed them.
“They actually allowed him to put the ladies into the car in the end after saying he wasn’t allowed to pick them up, and told him to drive to the T3 car park and back out again. My driver said it was clear they were disabled.
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“It’s just common sense. It’s scandalous. There were four or five marshals around him on that video, it was completely unnecessary.
“The main issue is just the lack of compassion and common sense, with three old dears who can barely walk. You can see on the video one of the ladies even struggles to get out of the car.”
Manchester Airport said that the drop off-zones are free of charge for blue badge holders, but can only be used in the event of a passenger being dropped off to prevent congestion and queues due to the ‘dwell time when picking passengers up being longer’.
A spokesperson said: “Blue badge holders are entitled to use our drop-off areas free of charge – but these areas are for dropping-off passengers only. This is because the dwell time when picking passengers up is longer and it would mean the drop-off areas would become congested and unavailable to those who need them.
“Passengers being picked up after a flight, including those with reduced mobility, should use our designated pick-up areas. These are positioned close to the arrivals areas in all three terminals and have greater capacity than the drop-off areas to allow for the longer dwell times involved when collecting passengers.
“A charge of £6.20 applies to these areas in order for us to make sure they are not misused. This gives people 30 minutes to collect their passengers, as opposed to the much shorter timeframes they are able to dwell in drop-off areas. These rules are well-established and have been in place for a number of years.
“We work closely with our independent Disability Forum to make sure the service we provide meets the needs of all airport users.
“We are also rated ‘good’ by the Civil Aviation Authority for the services we provide to passengers with reduced mobility. The services we provide include, free of charge, guiding them through the entire airport journey including taking them to the appropriate pick up zone and calling an approved taxi service where necessary.”
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