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May 9, 2026 — A redesigned parking system at Jersey Airport is coming under fire after drivers complained about confusing signs and charges that were far higher than expected. Ports of Jersey, the airport operator, has responded by promising to review its signage after one motorist was charged £36.38 — roughly $46 — for a stay of only 12 minutes in the airport’s new premium parking area.
Trevor Copp, who is in his 80s, said he inadvertently drove into the premium lot after dark because the new signs were not visible enough. “I think £3 a minute is a bit over the top,” he said. “Exeter is quite expensive, London airports are quite expensive, but £3 a minute? I said it wasn't clearly displayed by the machine.”
The complaint is part of a broader pattern. Several islanders have raised concerns about the revised parking layout, which was introduced alongside a £10m overhaul of the departures lounge, a building originally constructed in 1997. The new setup features four distinct zones: a premium car park, a long-stay car park, the arrivals car park, and a drop-off area.
Steven Laffoley-Edwards said the signage gives drivers too much information at a critical decision point. “I'm quite badly dyslexic and you come off the roundabout and there's a whole menu of options on the sign to tell you where to go,” he said. “The only thing I could do was slow down to a near stop, read all the options before finding where I had to go to pick someone up. I think the signage just needs to be shorter, clearer, bigger and bolder.”
Fergus Winchester expressed a broader worry about the pace of change at Jersey’s main airport. “The Ports of Jersey have destroyed the unique character of the airport,” he claimed. “Departing through a faceless cafe when I passed through I could have been anywhere.”
Others defended the modernisation. Samantha Gleave, chair of the Economic and International Affairs Panel, said she had recently toured the new departures lounge and believed the changes would be positive for the island. She stressed that the airport had given categorical assurances that there are no plans to introduce charges for dropping off or collecting passengers, and that a free parking option will always be available at Jersey Airport.
“The airport is the last experience that our visitors have of the island,” Gleave said. “For anyone stuck at the airport for four hours, you need that to be a positive one.”
Ports of Jersey responded to the criticism by acknowledging that the entrance sign for the premium car park may not have been clear enough. “We're very sorry that one of our customers found the car park charges sign at the entrance was not clear enough,” the operator said. “We really appreciate their feedback. As we invest in the car park at Jersey Airport, it's important to us that customers are easily able to use the car parks and are clearly able to find any applicable charges. We will review the signage to ensure it meets customer expectations.”
Beyond the signage issue, the dispute highlights a tension between modernisation and local identity. Jersey is a British Crown dependency in the Channel Islands, and its airport serves as an important gateway for the island’s tourism and finance industries. For American travellers, the airport is small by US standards, but it is currently undergoing one of its most significant upgrades in decades.
A guide to the current parking options may help:
The broader context is also important. The £10m infrastructure programme is intended to modernise a departures area that, by the operator’s own admission, had not kept pace with the expectations of modern travellers. But the project has also altered the overall look and feel of the airport, and not every passenger is convinced the trade-off is worth it.
Some drivers said the issue is not the development itself, but the way it has been communicated. In particular, the sign at the roundabout leading into the airport presents many choices at once, leaving little time for drivers to process them while also navigating traffic. For people like Laffoley-Edwards, who already face challenges with text-heavy signs, the result is anxiety rather than guidance.
Gleave, who also chairs the panel responsible for economic affairs, said airport officials are aware of the concerns and are looking at ways to increase transparency so that people are not caught out. Her comments echo the operator’s statement and suggest that at least some of the immediate fixes could be implemented relatively quickly.
The question is whether the island’s residents will accept the changes once the construction dust settles. For now, the airport’s operator has pledged to make the signs “meet customer expectations,” but it has yet to set a timeline for the review or explain what specific improvements will be made.
For visitors from the United States, especially those unfamiliar with Jersey’s geography, the lesson is simple: give the car park signs extra attention, and consider using the free long-stay lot if you are only stopping briefly. The airport says there will always be a free option, so there is no need to pay unless you genuinely value the convenience of parking near the terminal.
As the modernisation continues, one thing is likely to remain under scrutiny: how well the airport balances its new look with the practical needs of the people who use it. The latest round of complaints suggests that balance has not yet been achieved.
