18 seconds can be too quick for some things, and far too long for others.
But for Eric Moffatt, 66, it cost him almost £20 in an airport car park.
The granddad says Manchester Airport are unfairly penalising him for an ’18-second-mistake’ and a trip to the loo.
It unfolded after Eric, from Aigburth, had dropped his daughter and granddaughter off for a flight to Dubai at Manchester Airport on Friday 8 August.
During the 6.35am stop at the Terminal 2 Drop Off, he went to use the toilet, which he said was a ‘fair walk away’ from the car park.
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After saying his goodbyes he left the airport at 6.45am.
The granddad expected to then fork out £6.40 for the drop off.
This is because the terminal’s rules dictate that customers are allowed to park for up to 10 minutes for the price of £6.40, over this they must pay £25.
The same fees apply at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, with the max stay allowed being 30 minutes.
Believing his stay had been 10 minutes, which was confirmed by the receipt, Eric went to pay the fee when he found he’d actually been charged £25.
It took a closer look at the receipt to discover why: he had been parked up for 10 minutes and 18 seconds.
That was 18 seconds over the limit.
The 66-year-old is now furious, saying he has been unfairly overcharged because a health condition means he needs to go to the toilet more often.
Eric said: ‘I phoned up to question it and the guy told me I can appeal but if I lose the appeal I’ll be told to pay £60.
‘The guy on the phone said if you’re one second over the 10 minutes you’ll be charged £25. It just doesn’t seem fair when I was 10 minutes, I wasn’t 11 minutes.
‘It is a new terminal, I didn’t know where I was going inside and I have a bladder problem – I feel like I’m being penalised twice for it. I’ve been charged £25 for 18 seconds, how is that fair?’
Manchester Airport are defending their drop-off charges as crucial for allowing the car parks to work smoothly.
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: ‘Drop-off charges help us to manage demand for access to our forecourts, where space is limited, and reduce traffic congestion.
‘It means that the areas remain efficient even at busy times because people are not staying there for extended periods.
‘We also offer a completely free drop-off facility by the nearby JetParks 1 car park. It is served by a 24-hour shuttle bus that runs every few minutes and takes less than six minutes to get to all three terminals.’
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