Luton Airport is under scrutiny for its parking policies yet again following reports that the London gateway profited from the snow disruption which caused misery across the UK last week.
Businessman Richard Busby told the Press Association that he was charged £65 extra for leaving his car in the short-term car park at Luton after his flight from Edinburgh Airport was cancelled.
The marketing manager had already pre-paid for parking when he left his vehicle in the car park.
His return flight from Edinburgh was one of hundreds that got cancelled after wintry Siberian weather gripped the UK last week, wreaking travel chaos for thousands of commuters.
After returning to London on an overnight sleeper train he was unable to get to Luton due to the poor weather, heeding Met Office advice not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
But by the time Mr Busby reached the airport he was told by Luton’s parking provider, APCOA, that he had to pay £65 for an extra two days in the short-term car park.
“APCOA would not show me their regulations when I requested them,” he complained. “I should not have had to pay more. There are other people who are in the same position as me. It does seem unfair.”
The parking provider did not respond to inquiries from the Press Association, though an airport spokeswoman seemed to backtrack by insisting Mr Busby and others could claim for a refund.
She said that all parking customers whose flights were cancelled or diverted were automatically given a free 24-hour extension of their stay. Anyone who overstayed that grace period would now be offered a refund or voucher upon providing proof of cancellation, the spokeswoman added.
Luton Airport came in for heavy criticism last year after charging drivers £1 for dropping off passengers, even when they do not park and their vehicle is not left unattended.