Airport now charges a fee to drop passengers off for their flights

The airports are catching the micropayment disease from the airlines. Luton Airport, just north of London, is about to start charging motorists £1 ($1.47) to allow them to drop off passengers at the departures terminal. That money buys up to 10 minutes at the front curb.

Luton is hardly the most crowded airport in Europe, but it's already one of the cheapest. Luton is the 99¢ store of airports. Two of its most notable carriers are easyJet and the "pay-to-pee" airline Ryanair, the two least frilled no-frills fliers on Earth. So if you're taking a flight from Luton, you already know you're in for a welter of dime charges for every little thing. The airport already charges £1 for a luggage cart (nothing unusual there), but also allows passengers to pay £3 ($4.40) to access a speedier lane through security.