Kiss and fly airport charge - 'There will be fury if change isn't smooth'

WHEN the Evening News revealed plans to impose a "kiss and fly" drop-off charge at Edinburgh Airport, we predicted there would be trouble. We were right.

We also predicted that the furore would be so great that airport bosses would be forced to back down. On that, we were wrong.

The new 1 charge comes in tomorrow and, as we detail today, any drivers who hang around longer than their allotted 10 minutes will have to pay a whopping 5, or even more.

Given the anger already, who would want to be one of the poor staff members who will be at the new drop-off tomorrow morning, explaining the changes?

For all they point out the 52 new parking bays, the cover protecting passengers from the rain and the proximity to the terminal, all that will matter to most drivers is the quid they are out of pocket.

The News didn't oppose the charge because we understood the argument that it would help pay for expansion and development.

But we did give a platform to the many who did object - like the 9000 who have signed the petition of local MSP Gavin Brown.

And we confidently make one more prediction - that the opposition so far will explode into fury if the imposition of the charge is anything other than smooth and painless (other than handing over the pound, of course).

Talking tram sense

WE don't always find ourselves agreeing with Jenny Dawe, and no-one has been more critical of the council over the trams than this newspaper.

But the News backs her demand that the business case for the project's future, especially how trams will link in with Lothian Buses, should be made public.

We have already taken TIE to task for the secrecy in which it has shrouded the whole project. The trams firm hides behind excuses about commercial sensitivity but the suspicion remains that they simply have something to hide.

For her part, Dawe wants the business case open to scrutiny now because she thinks it "stacks up".

But to us it is more a matter of principle. The people of Edinburgh and Scotland are paying for the trams and they deserve all the information they need on how the scheme is going - from the clearly flawed original contract to current projections on future prospects.