Leifsstöð drop-off lane ranks worst in airport fee comparison

The drop-off lane at Leifur Eiríksson Airport terminal has the most restrictive fees among the airports compared by FÍB, mbl.is reports. Drivers get only five minutes free, after which every additional minute costs 500 krónur.

FÍB compared the arrangement with those at ten other airport terminals and criticised both the short free period and the high charges. The organisation has dubbed the lane the “robbery lane”.

Zurich was the only other terminal in the comparison where drivers also received just five free minutes. Each additional minute there costs 145 krónur, less than one-third of the fee at Keflavík.

Elsewhere, the free periods are longer. Frankfurt offers 10 free minutes, followed by a charge of 500 krónur for the next 10 minutes. Oslo allows seven free minutes and then charges 1,000 krónur for every started 20-minute period.

Helsinki offers eight free minutes, after which every started five-minute period costs 700 krónur. At Heathrow and Gatwick, drivers must pay immediately to enter the drop-off area. Heathrow charges about 1,200 krónur without a fixed time limit, while Gatwick charges about 1,600 krónur and adds 160 krónur for every minute after 10 minutes.

According to FÍB, dropping off passengers is free at the terminals in Copenhagen, Geneva and Amsterdam.

FÍB said the problem was not limited to the price of the extra minutes. The drop-off lane has few spaces, meaning drivers can become stuck after entering the area before finding a place to let passengers out. The clock continues running during the wait.

Drivers can park free of charge for up to 15 minutes in the P1 car park in front of the terminal. FÍB said that option did not always solve the problem because the car park was often full and congestion could develop.

The five-minute rule has previously caused anger. In May 2025, mbl.is reported that Atli Már Jónsson received a bill of 1,990 krónur after stopping in the lane for six minutes. He was told that his car had remained in the area for one minute and 30 seconds too long.

“I think this is simply criminal activity,” Atli told mbl.is at the time.

The rule later became the subject of a sketch in the 2025 New Year’s comedy show, which made fun of the five-minute limit as a family hurried to unload luggage.

The same five-minute rule was introduced this summer in a new lane on the arrivals side of the terminal for collecting passengers.

FÍB wants the departures-side drop-off lane to be expanded at the expense of part of the P1 car park, and the free period extended to eight to 10 minutes.