Originally Posted by
22/04
I agree and this is in no way a reacist comment but I can't help but think I might be happier with LTN as my local airport if we didn't have Wizzair. Others would fly to the places I might like to go (Prague. Budapest etc) - I am unlikely to go to most of their destinations.
But in truth I am unlikely to fly Thomson either- I would fly Easy to most of their destinations where there is higher frequency and self plan the holiday. Have only used Easy and Ryanair in the last 10 years.
My issue, and the issue of others I know, with Luton isn't Eastern Europeans (who generally seem as pleasant as any other cut of society), it isn't Wizzair flying to destinations that I dont want to go to and it isn't locals in the catchment area turning up in their tracksuits, baseball caps etc calling each other "bruv" and generally being TOWIE wannabes. I'm not being racist either, nor am I being a snob. Those are the people that are targeted by the airport. Theres very little in the way of business travel and there's little in the way of airline choice now, or previously, that would appeal to my retired parents or their friends and relatives especially taking into account the standard of the airport facilities.
My problem with Luton is that they have chosen to provide a very poor customer experience for an extended period of time. Consider all the touchpoints on the airports customer journeys in and of the airport and they're terrible. Traffic, general building site, little seating in the terminal, poor facilities and just a generally cheap feel about the old and new terminal buildings.
The immediate catchment area is what it is. The wider catchment area provides plenty of choice of cheap airport vs a better experience at same, little extra cost or higher cost. Luton attracts the former and nothing about the current developments indicate to me that they have any desire to appeal to anybody else. This will only change if the council sell up to somebody with a vision which shows no likelihood of happening.