**Bristol Airport Drama: £100 Fine for Asking Directions!** 🛬
Imagine this: 84-year-old Bryan Sealey, just trying to pick up his family from Bristol Airport, got slapped with a £100 fine… all for asking someone for directions! His son Gary has branded it “extortion,” and he’s not wrong.
Bryan, a retired engineer from Portishead, drove to the newly revamped pick-up zone at the airport, which had only been open for a few weeks. Slightly confused, he did what most of us would do—paused briefly to ask for directions. But those few seconds cost him dearly. The airport’s rules state ‘No Stopping’ and unfortunately, Bryan didn’t spot the signs in time. On top of the fine, he also had to pay £7 just for a 10-minute pick-up!
Gary and his dad challenged the fine, but their plea was met with little sympathy. Frustratingly, the notice of the fine landed at Bryan’s doorstep mere days before the deadline for appeal at a reduced rate of £60. Plus, appealing was a real challenge for Bryan, who’s more comfortable with a landline than the internet.
“This isn’t about preventing congestion,” Gary said. “My dad stopped for maybe 10-15 seconds. This just feels unreasonable.” Despite how confusing the whole experience was for them, Gary still thinks the new airport layout is an improvement—though this incident did put quite a damper on his holiday mood.
What do you think? Should common sense have prevailed here? What’s your take on these hefty fines for minor infractions? 🧐 Let us know in the comments!