Simple airport mistake that has caught thousands of Brits out – and it costs you £121
BRITS heading to the airport are being caught out by a very confusing rule - which will also see you left more than £100 out of pocket.
Despite many not being in London, there are five airports named after the capital - London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City, London Luton and London Stansted.
Holidaymakers heading to London Gatwick and London Heathrow are able to tap in and out using contactless cards or Oyster cards.
However, this isn't the case for London Stansted, with new research conducted by transport watchdog TravelWatch finding more than 16,000 people have been caught out by this.
Passengers travelling to London Stansted will often travel from London Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale, where it is possible to tap in.
But travellers may not realise that tapping in when trying to enter the airport isn't possible, and instead have to pay for a ticket.
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The average price is around £20 - but anyone who is caught without a ticket has to pay £100 fine, as well as the cost of the ticket.
With anytime day tickets costing £21.40, it means passengers are being forced to pay £121.40 if they make the mistake.
Chief executive Michael Roberts told: “It’s plainly wrong that passengers continue to be unfairly penalised for not knowing that contactless payment isn’t accepted at London Stansted Airport.
“With ‘London’ in its name, people quite reasonably assume that they’ll be able to tap out using a contactless card, especially when they were allowed to tap in using one at the start of their journey.”
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Greater Anglia, who operate the train line to London Stansted, said there was "no date" for contactless options being introduced.
They added: "Greater Anglia has deployed a number of significant actions, including extra signage, extra staff, extra announcements and extra information at London Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale, to reinforce the fact that Oyster is not valid to Stansted Airport and that there is currently no contactless option available."
They said they were also "keen to see the extension of contactless ticketing to Stansted Airport," but this would require additional funding from the Department of Transport.
A spokesman for MP Kemi Badenoch said local MPs would be "making enquiries" about introducing contactless card readers.
It's not the only mistake that might catch you out at the airport.
Holidaymakers opting to drive to airports are often stung by fines due to confusing rules.
One mum said she was fined £80 after she got lost in Heathrow when trying to park.
Charlotte Balfe, 28, ended up going into the drop off zone rather than the long-stay by accident.
She said: "I had no idea where we were going. On each sign there’s 20 different things and you’ve got all the taxis pushing you on.
"I accidentally went up the ramp and not down it and even though I quickly drove back down, I got a fine through for £80 along with a picture of my car saying you entered the drop off zone and didn’t pay."
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And another said said they were fined £150 after forgetting to pay the £5 drop off fee at the airport.
In Europe, one passenger was charged £107 after being told their luggage didn't fit the requirements.
