Free Traffic Legal Advice

The registered keeper received a parking charge for using the pick up drop off zone. There is an expectation to call or going online to pay the fee within a certain amount of time. There are cameras to track entry and exit.

Normally the aircraft flies into terminal 3 and the payment for pick up is made using a token that is provided upon arrival. As such you cannot exit without physically paying. As there is a barrier.

Because of the difference between terminals and how the payments and exits work and the unexpected change of terminal. The registered driver simply forgot to go online and pay.

Advice on what  next steps would be amazing.

You will then probably see some of the advice to be similar to that you were given for Liverpool Airport some ten months ago. The difference is that VCS goes down the route to a small claims court, whereas APCOA doesn’t do court, so will cancel on receipt of an appropriate appeal.

By default, any contract that was formed (if at all) was between APCOA and the driver of the vehicle. The problem for APCOA is that they do not know who was driving, so have written to you, the registered keeper instead. There is a legal mechanism for parking companies to recover private parking charges from the registered keeper, in certain circumstances - this is Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act (2012) (PoFA).

Schedule 4 of PoFA is only applicable on "relevant land". As Manchester Airport is subject to byelaws, it is subject to "statutory control", and as such, not relevant land for the purposes of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act, meaning they cannot hold the keeper liable.

You could therefore appeal along the lines of the below.


Make sure you only select "keeper" in any drop down boxes on the appeal portal - do not tell them who was driving.