LUTON - 6

[LTNman]

Luton Airport Customer Reviews | SKYTRAX

4 pages of comments why passengers don't like Luton. But then Ryanair is often viewed as a bad airline and they seem to be doing very well

[LTNman]

Possibly a stupid question but how many more 737 sized airframes could be accommodated at Luton overnight

25 aircraft night stopped last night

15 easyjet
3 Thomson
3 Ryanair (should be 4?)
4 Monarch

Walk on stands

Main Apron
1R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9L, 60

North Apron
61, 40, 41, 42 (stands 41 and 42 have various left and right options making up to 5 stands)

East Apron
43, 44, 45

Total walk on stands = 20

Bussed stands

Main Apron
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, (Stands 14 and 15 have various left right options making up to 6 stands.

East Apron
46, 47, 48

South Apron
21, 22 (various left right options make 3 stands)

Total bussed stands =12

Total stands =32

Stands excluded

Cargo
30, 31

FBO stands
16, 56, 58, 10, 20, 62, 71

[Lee Baker Street]

LTNMan,

I looked at other airport reviews and it appears ALL airports have the same problems in relation to security and immigration queues.

LLAOL appear to have not invested significantly in the airport whilst it was growing and now everything is buckling under the strain.

This year may be Luton's busiest ever so I hope Albertis will start to release funds from it's pockets.

Lets hope the new drop off area currently being re-designed significantly reduced drop off / pick up times otherwise sadly the airport has reached its peak.

As a tax payer here in Luton I am becoming concerned that LLAOL and its parent company Albertis might not be up to the job of running this airport?

Quite possibly maybe Luton Borough Council should consider terminating the lease (with no compensation to Albertis) for they are failing the people of Luton?

[LTNman]

Lets hope the new drop off area currently being re-designed significantly reduced drop off / pick up times otherwise sadly the airport has reached its peak.

That's the strange thing. Since they introduced the new exit route from the drop off area last year there are no queues in the central area.

[ericlday]

On Tuesday 29th at 10.00 walked up to Boarding pass check....straight through no queue, onto security check again nobody in front of us. Polite happy chappy on security had a chat about lack of queues 'should be here between 05.00 and 07.00 to see the real queues'
As there was a Tel Aviv flight was questioned by Police as to destination, told him Tenerife and he replied 'enjoy your trip'
Yes I know at that time of day its more relaxed but that was my experience and it was a pleasurable one.

[davidjohnson6]

LTNman - many thanks for your post on night stoppers.

Does that mean Luton could accommodate another 7 aircraft physically on the apron, at least in terms of parking, without causing issues over manoeuvring when the first 6am flight wants to leave the terminal and get into the clouds ? Furthermore if we assume a load of, on average 150 passengers per aircraft or 7 x 150 = 1,050 passengers total all departing in the early morning rush, how many of them can be squeezed through security screening along with additional relevant checkin / baggage handling for these flights ?

[rareair]

Just speaking from personal observations yesterday :
I approached from Wigmore by long stay car park bus, solid traffic from the roundabout by the hotel. No idea how far it stretched back before that. This at 5:45 am.
Security busy but only a ten minute wait. The ex silverjet terminal appeared to be in use as an additional security area - is this correct?
I would say an extra thousand pax would be pushing it. Also all the night stoppers have to take off whilst the first wave of wizz arrivals are coming from the east. Runway capacities is another issue.

[LTNman]

I approached from Wigmore by long stay car park bus, solid traffic from the roundabout by the hotel. No idea how far it stretched back before that. This at 5:45 am.

That is a surprise, I have yet to see any sort of queue even at that time of the day. Wonder if one of the drop off lanes was closed due to a barrier fault or other reason.

Security busy but only a ten minute wait. The ex silverjet terminal appeared to be in use as an additional security area - is this correct?

It seems to be but only first thing in the morning it would appear.

I would say an extra thousand pax would be pushing it

The terminal is full first thing in the morning so without terminal expansion extra stands are pointless.

Also all the night stoppers have to take off whilst the first wave of wizz arrivals are coming from the east

Plenty of stands available by the time the first Wizz of the day arrives as there has already been around 15 departures but as stated 13 Wizz arrivals in 30 minutes does not help the departure rate.

[Lee Baker Street]

Easyland

It is my understanding that during the next two weeks or so, Easyland will be repainted white and returned to its condition prior to being taken over by EasyJet.

Does anyone know what will become of this building? As it was previously a spectator building paid for by us Luton tax payers money, will it revert once more to the official spotting area?

[gilesdavies]

Does anyone know what will become of this building? As it was previously a spectator building paid for by us Luton tax payers money, will it revert once more to the official spotting area?

This is to become a new overflow Security Search Area... Passengers will be asked to walk down to the huts for their checks and then walk back to the terminal to go through to the departure lounge!

[compton3bravo]

May I point out that easyland was originally built to be used as a domestic terminal many years ago but never opened commercially and then became a spectators bar/cafe before being taken over by easyJet. Some of us can remember when the whole area was just a spectactors car park and a good one at that.

[pabely]

Happy days when I was a spotter with short trousers and a push bike!

[LTNman]

May I point out that easyland was originally built to be used as a domestic terminal many years ago but never opened commercially and then became a spectators bar/cafe before being taken over by easyJet.

That's not right. I remember it as a spectators building, then they attached a new building to it which was the domestic terminal then easyjet took over and the spectators building was no more when easyjet took over the whole building.

[compton3bravo]

Thanks LTNMan for the clarification, memory not as good as it should be - that is my excuse! Spent many happy hours when it was just a spectactors car park. I can remember my late father saying on his first visit to the airport in the late 1960s (he lived oop north) that ´´a good cafe would make a few bob here´´!

[Buster the Bear]

Did you spot this? G-ASKK 13th August 1963 on lease to Autair.

[TSR2]

If reminiscing is the order of the day, I remember my only flight from Luton was in 1973 on a brand new L1011 Tristar of Court Line to the Paris Airshow sadly the day before the Russian 'Concordski' tragically crashed. I distinctly remember looking out of the window whilst taxying onto the runway at Luton and seeing a huge drop at the end of the runway and what looked like a large factory at the bottom. Always wondered what it was. Ah, good days.

[Buster the Bear]

Vauxhall building Viva cars and vans back then.

[TSR2]

Thanks for that Buster.

[pabely]

Not old enough to remember that but remember the Taron Il-18's and the Laker DC10's on a winters day!

[ericlday]

Pabley....was that when they closed one of the taxiways to park the DC 10s ?