The one aspect I really hate about UK airports is the drop-off fees. On the face of it, airports have introduced it to reduce congestion and noise, while incentivizing people to use public transportation options to get to the airport. This may sound well intentioned, and it is, but it doesn't seem like transport links at many British airports are on par with even their European counterparts, being either poorly connected, infrequent, or overpriced. Heathrow, for instance, lacks good access to transportation from anywhere outside Central London and a few nearby West London towns like Hayes, Hounslow, and Southall. The lack of any free travel zone for TFL buses at LHR since 2020 doesn't exactly help either.
What's worse is that many, including Heathrow, have increased these drop-off fees over the last couple of years. Heathrow will jump to £7 at the start of next year, which will mean a 40% rise from over just 12 months. There is also a maximum 10 minutes stay before a £40 charge is levied. I'd imagine this would be a tricky situation should there be a lot of traffic while entering and leaving the terminal, lots of luggage to carry, mobility issues, kids to account for, etc. There is also a £40 charge if drivers don't pay the fee before midnight on the next day, and £80 afterward. When you consider that most of Heathrow's European competitors, if not all, do not have such charges despite having superior transport options (Schiphol, Frankfurt, Zurich, Rome, Madrid, etc.), all it will do is put more costs on ordinary people. And the argument that these fees keep landing charges down doesn't really hold up, knowing that Heathrow is one of the most expensive airports to operate out of at the moment.
But beyond that, it's hard to not notice the general trend of many things in Britain, where many entities charge more through extra fees and expenses, only to underdeliver in quality. Nothing could spell a rip-off mindset better.
Source:
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/airport-drop-off-fees-why-heathrow-london-city-b2877391.html
https://thebusinesstravelmag.com/heathrow-slammed-for-raising-drop-off-fee/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15351275/Heathrow-Airport-80-fine-stay-single-MINUTE-long.html