LUTON -8
Join Date: Dec 2015
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An interesting theory but could we see Turkish at Luton in the near future, they could offer great connections for passengers to destinations that have never been available one stop from Luton before.
Join Date: Jan 2010
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I flew to Catania this summer with easyJet from Luton. I thought at the time that it was the worst airport I have ever been from in the UK and when I read the new copy of Which yesterday I realised I was right. It came out bottom of all the airports in the country.
Never again will I fly from this dump.
Never again will I fly from this dump.
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Luton
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While many airports invest in infrastructure like airbridges and try to improve the passengers experience Luton is building very basic minimal facilities.
Does anyone know which stand gate 16 is associated with, as it isn't where I expected it to be but I think it is around stand 9L
Does anyone know which stand gate 16 is associated with, as it isn't where I expected it to be but I think it is around stand 9L
Gate 16 will indeed eventually serve stand 9L when the contractors have moved off it. It is already being used but purely for coaching to remote stands.
Noticed today that the east apron now has the 4 stands on the pier in use, seem to be 43L 44L 45L and 45R.
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Maybe it's something to do with most of the airlines using the airport also provide basic minimal facilities (with apologies to the exceptions, of course). No point in providing 5-star facilities on the ground then, er, less than 5-star service on board. LCC's wouldn't take too kindly to better facilities at the airport if it meant higher airport charges hence higher fares. Doesn't improve the airport's chances of attracting more major scheduled carriers such as El AL, though.
Last edited by cj241101; 3rd Sep 2016 at 19:27.
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Never again will I fly from this dump.
I saw a longtime friend a couple of days ago who travels the world on business. This usually means Heathrow but as she lives in Watford she does fly from Luton when she can. All that changed when she was trying to catch a flight to Ireland and got stuck in the traffic jams. She is a frequent flyer to Israel from Luton but she told me that she has switched back to Heathrow.
The problem for Luton is that so many people have had a bad experience that it might take years for some of those passengers to give Luton a try again even though most of the problems will be fixed by the end of next year.
It is clear that Luton is focusing on the bottom of the market but so is Stansted and to a lesser extent Gatwick but they have better facilities so they can also attract more full fare airlines. Also worth remembering that there are far more full fare airlines than low cost carriers so Luton should not abandon this market.
AtlasGlobal might be moving for no other reason than they have got a start up deal at Stansted so it will cut their costs or it could be down to customer feedback. I guess we will never know.
LTNman - whenever I fly to/from Luton I'm usually hand luggage only and am more than able to walk between Parkway station and the airport. Yes, I can even walk the mile uphill unaided. I've seen the traffic near the Ibis and have sympathy for the unfortunates in buses and cars panicking as to whether or not they'll make their flight.
However... Ryanair 10 years ago often gave a seriously lousy experience - much worse than they do now; the seriously extreme horror stories seem to have become much less frequent. 10 years ago, everyone knew via the press that booking with Ryanair could mean things going seriously wrong with one's travel plans, but still we booked with Ryanair because we loved the fact that they were cheap and somehow thought 'bad stuff happens to other people, it will never happen to me'.
Those who've missed their flights and seen summer holidays wrecked will not return to Luton. Those who've incurred a high level of stress but somehow caught their flight will decide that somehow when it means spending their own hard-earned cash they would prefer to save the money, leave home a bit earlier than last time, and book to/from the cheapest airport near to where they live.
However... Ryanair 10 years ago often gave a seriously lousy experience - much worse than they do now; the seriously extreme horror stories seem to have become much less frequent. 10 years ago, everyone knew via the press that booking with Ryanair could mean things going seriously wrong with one's travel plans, but still we booked with Ryanair because we loved the fact that they were cheap and somehow thought 'bad stuff happens to other people, it will never happen to me'.
Those who've missed their flights and seen summer holidays wrecked will not return to Luton. Those who've incurred a high level of stress but somehow caught their flight will decide that somehow when it means spending their own hard-earned cash they would prefer to save the money, leave home a bit earlier than last time, and book to/from the cheapest airport near to where they live.
Join Date: Jul 2014
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I travelled through LLA today for the 3rd time this year. Much improved in 8 weeks. From home in Stockingstone Road lower, at 8.15 am via suitcase check in through security to coffee bar at 8.55. You can see the shape of the permanent set down area and it looks good to me. The pedestrian crossings were well marshalled and worked well. The route to Departures was busy, both ways. But rough and ready. The final paving will enhance the visual aspect of the area. The area was free from litter.EZY check in well staffed as was their boarding gate. The departure area functioning OK in spite of new works. Whilst the surface car parks work duration and programming leaves a bit to be desired do not judge the scheme on this current interim situation. I am a great believer in functionality. If I want to get from A to B that's it. I am not interested in the wall paper. Let's wait and see how the final product works. As to air bridges what do the airlines want?. If they are that bothered about how their passengers get from the airport to their aircraft let them speak out now. Let's take a view on how this 'dump' looks and FUNCTIONS in 6 months time. I like Luton Airport and I think it can only get better.
OK I will wade in with my experience on 20th August returning to Tenerife with Monarch on 15.30 departure..... arrived at drop off area around 13.15 as I have read about the so called delays......by 13.35 I had passed through security checks and was sitting waiting for the gate details to be posted......so whats all this fuss I ask myself.....probably one of the best experiences of passing through Luton in years.... so was it the time of day or was I just plain lucky.......I was more than happy....oh by the way the Monarch flight was most enjoyable with English speaking cabin and flight deck that I could understand........and the price was cheaper than the Harp that I have used on numerous previous occasions !
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Customer experience is directly linked to what time passengers arrive and depart the airport. The traffic situation is still bad but those bad times are definitely reducing in terms of the number of delays each day and and length of those delays with the ongoing tweaks that have been introduced as the weeks have past. I actually doubt that they will go away completely although the winter will be fine they will return next summer despite the completion of the CTA but to a lesser extent.
As has been pointed out the main pedestrian crossing to the centre Island of the drop off area is now the ongoing issue. At busy times, and I don't mean just the peak times, there is a constant stream of passengers who want to cross the road but apart from its removal I can't see a way forward. I don't think the airport will want to employ agency staff in pairs just to block passengers from crossing the road to allow a few cars at a time to pass forever. It is that crossing that still has traffic queuing down the hill and with the airport aiming for another 5 million passengers a fix will have to be found.
With the school holidays now ending the airport experience will improve for most passengers but it has been a tough summer for the airport, the people who work there and its passengers.
At the end of the day all most people want from an airport is easy access to it, easy and fast access through it, somewhere to sit and somewhere to eat if needed and maybe shops for those that like to pass a little time. It sounds simple but it is something the airport has struggled to achieve.
As has been pointed out the main pedestrian crossing to the centre Island of the drop off area is now the ongoing issue. At busy times, and I don't mean just the peak times, there is a constant stream of passengers who want to cross the road but apart from its removal I can't see a way forward. I don't think the airport will want to employ agency staff in pairs just to block passengers from crossing the road to allow a few cars at a time to pass forever. It is that crossing that still has traffic queuing down the hill and with the airport aiming for another 5 million passengers a fix will have to be found.
With the school holidays now ending the airport experience will improve for most passengers but it has been a tough summer for the airport, the people who work there and its passengers.
At the end of the day all most people want from an airport is easy access to it, easy and fast access through it, somewhere to sit and somewhere to eat if needed and maybe shops for those that like to pass a little time. It sounds simple but it is something the airport has struggled to achieve.
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OK I will wade in with my experience on 20th August returning to Tenerife with Monarch on 15.30 departure..... arrived at drop off area around 13.15 as I have read about the so called delays......by 13.35 I had passed through security checks and was sitting waiting for the gate details to be posted......so whats all this fuss I ask myself.....probably one of the best experiences of passing through Luton in years.... so was it the time of day or was I just plain lucky.......I was more than happy....oh by the way the Monarch flight was most enjoyable with English speaking cabin and flight deck that I could understand........and the price was cheaper than the Harp that I have used on numerous previous occasions !
AvGeek1
Thats was one of the reasons I chose the Monarch afternoon departure compared to the early morning Ryanair next day.
Thats was one of the reasons I chose the Monarch afternoon departure compared to the early morning Ryanair next day.
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We were on an early flight and the check in and security were horrendous. We had spent the night in the HI Express and the walk up hill with our suitcases was hard work. We left our car at the car park the other side of the M1, too far away really.
The worst part was when we returned on a quiet Sunday afternoon, no other flights were waiting for their baggage, but it took them over an hour after landing for our cases to appear. This is not good enough IMO.
I've flown from Stansted and while sometimes it is busy it seems a better experience, especially with the car parking.
I could have gone from Manchester but it was a lot more expensive so I chose Luton. After my dreadful time at Luton, sod the money, it will be MAN, BHX, EMA or a staycation!
The worst part was when we returned on a quiet Sunday afternoon, no other flights were waiting for their baggage, but it took them over an hour after landing for our cases to appear. This is not good enough IMO.
I've flown from Stansted and while sometimes it is busy it seems a better experience, especially with the car parking.
I could have gone from Manchester but it was a lot more expensive so I chose Luton. After my dreadful time at Luton, sod the money, it will be MAN, BHX, EMA or a staycation!
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Atlas Global
"So after a stint down the road, it looks like AtlasGlobal are back with their schedule to IST from the 31st October"
Just read the above on the STN thread.
Could this be as a result of current issues with facilities at LTN being not up to scratch or is there more to it? Perhaps just trying to get the best deal in a crowded market on a route that's suffering due to a downturn in demand because of issues in Turkey?
Either way, its a shame to lose the IST link altogether
Just read the above on the STN thread.
Could this be as a result of current issues with facilities at LTN being not up to scratch or is there more to it? Perhaps just trying to get the best deal in a crowded market on a route that's suffering due to a downturn in demand because of issues in Turkey?
Either way, its a shame to lose the IST link altogether
Last edited by wallp; 4th Sep 2016 at 13:22.
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Total utter nightmare. The airport and its surrounding roads are gridlocked so I had to turn around 3 times to pick my route through Luton town centre to get home. Now I have got to get to Parkway to pick up the daughter.
Last edited by LTNman; 4th Sep 2016 at 17:30.
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Atlas Global
Could this be as a result of current issues with facilities at LTN being not up to scratch or is there more to it
Luton loads were good (not sure in recent weeks since the troubles in the country) but if they think there is more money to be made by moving to Stansted I can't think of a better reason to move.
They did have problems with their departure times so the handling agent might have also been a reason for a move.
Re. The accident in the underpass - a car being driven by an airport meet and greet company for pick up slammed into one of the easyJet crew buses leaving the airport. All crew okay luckily but absolute havoc around the airport this afternoon. Not a great day overall as the baggage system collapsed this morning with many flights leaving without bags on board.