giles - the reason why people feel the need to get the bus, is that it's such a pedestrian unfriendly route.
At Gatwick the transit between terminals goes every few minutes (i.e. much higher frequency than at Luton), and you get to wait in a clean, well-lit, spacious location sheltered from the weather. The cost is also rolled into the charges paid by the airline to the airport so to the passenger it appears to be free. Arrive into Luton late in the evening on the way home, and it's pretty grim waiting outside for the bus to the station to show up. Oh yeah, and the bus at Luton costs £1.50 per person each way to go about a mile.
Ideally, there would be an exit from the train station onto Kimpton Road but it doesn't seem to exist.
At the train station exit, there are no signs to the airport. Walk past the station car park towards the roundabout, and you see a road sign to the right which is the wrong direction for pedestrians (but the correct direction for vehicles given the one-way traffic system)
Walking up towards the airport, there are stretches with no proper pavement, along a road with 2 (or is it 3?) lanes in each direction moving at speed - you find yourself either walking on mud or in the road.
When you pass through the tunnel next to the hotels, you find yourself walking next to a crash barrier. Finally, when you exit the tunnel and reach the roundabout just before the bus terminus, you typically find yourself having to climb over one or more fences
I've walked from station to airport and back a few times, but only with a small backpack as hand luggage weighing a few kg - takes me about 20-25 mins in either direction.
With a suitcase or children in tow, it's impossible to do remotely safely.
For people travelling between train station and airport at Luton, there is pretty much no option except the bus.
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 4th Sep 2012 at 14:28.