Brisbane Airport to provide free parking

Brisbane Airport is to introduce a free car park for drivers to waiting to pick up incoming passengers.

It says the problem of people circling the airport repeatedly in their cars to avoid paying for parking is causing traffic congestion.

Sydney Airport introduced a similar system at the domestic terminal used by airlines other than Qantas. Drivers can get 15 minutes of free parking before being slugged Sydney Airport's global chart-topping parking fees.

It forces drivers to use the car park because there is absolutely nowhere else in front of Terminal 2 where cars are able to pull up to pick up a passenger.

The Qantas controlled-terminal, T3, still has normal pick-up kerbs in Sydney.

Brisbane Airport told The Brisbane Times it won't force drivers to use the car park and says it is responding to customer feedback that there's nowhere to stop cars in the airport precinct to wait a short time for passengers.

However, restaurants with large car parks like McDonalds and Krispy Kreme are becoming increasingly annoyed that drivers are clogging up restaurant car parks waiting for passengers to ring and say they're ready for pick-up.

The barricading of the roadside leading to Melbourne Airport is shifting car squatters into fast food outlet car parks, the Herald Sun reports.

"The carpark is always full and customers and sometimes even staff can't get a park," a McDonalds staff member told the newspaper.

danwarne