Luton-9
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Construction update
With the latest drop off area opening sometime tomorrow here are a few snaps as it awaits its big day.
The 3rd core and walkway are no more which now gives a clear view of the temporary road skirting the pedestrian underpass. As can be seen the walk to the terminal will get a lot longer
The existing exit pay barriers will be replaced by a new set seen in the middle distance.
Work is taking place to reposition the former exit route for when the temporary exit road closes. This will allow the new multistory to maximize its dimensions.
It is always undesirable to have a man standing in the road wearing a high viz jacket. Even when the old route is still in operation drivers keep stopping for a long chat. It will be best come tomorrow that drivers get no human help.
It's not even raining but Luton's new unofficial smokers shelter is proving to be very popular as predicted here just before it opened.
The 3rd core and walkway are no more which now gives a clear view of the temporary road skirting the pedestrian underpass. As can be seen the walk to the terminal will get a lot longer
The existing exit pay barriers will be replaced by a new set seen in the middle distance.
Work is taking place to reposition the former exit route for when the temporary exit road closes. This will allow the new multistory to maximize its dimensions.
It is always undesirable to have a man standing in the road wearing a high viz jacket. Even when the old route is still in operation drivers keep stopping for a long chat. It will be best come tomorrow that drivers get no human help.
It's not even raining but Luton's new unofficial smokers shelter is proving to be very popular as predicted here just before it opened.
Join Date: Jul 2002
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With Ryanair opening a new base at Southend, I wonder what this could mean for Luton?
The LTN base has been stagnent for around 5-6+ years with no new capacity and routes occasionally chopped and changed.
Could they eventually move Luton ops to Southend and extend that base further?
The LTN base has been stagnent for around 5-6+ years with no new capacity and routes occasionally chopped and changed.
Could they eventually move Luton ops to Southend and extend that base further?
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Unless something has changed, the Ryanair operation at Luton always made the airline a handsome profit. The airport operators were not prepared to 'sell their souls' to garner increased capacity.
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Used the new temporary drop off zone just before 8.00 this morning. No problems, and staff were opening individual lanes as required, to match flow rates. Just a bit of an extra walk, but through security and into departures in 10 mins.
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All the based aircraft have left for the day and Wizz passengers are down at the boarding gates getting their flights.
Two hours earlier it would be much different!
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The morning queues are as long as ever and for the last two mornings at 5:45 the queue as normal went back to the railway line despite the new drop off area. Note the damage to the bridge hasn't been repaired. The photo shows the evening queue.
Despite the queues most of the lanes remain empty as everyone aims to use lane A unless directed to use another lane. This does not always happen as staff are not always monitoring the first lane.
The main issue with the popular first lane is that despite hatched markings and signs saying no stopping cars still park up. As the turning circle is so tight the following cars then have to do a 3 or 5 point turn depending on how close the following car is behind. I was only standing there for 5 minutes when I witnessed my first accident due to a car having to do a 3 point turn and backing into the car behind. As can be seen both these cars had to reverse to make the turn as no car can do a turn without entering the yellow hatched area.
Then its a long walk to the terminal except these passengers have come from the terminal
Despite the queues most of the lanes remain empty as everyone aims to use lane A unless directed to use another lane. This does not always happen as staff are not always monitoring the first lane.
The main issue with the popular first lane is that despite hatched markings and signs saying no stopping cars still park up. As the turning circle is so tight the following cars then have to do a 3 or 5 point turn depending on how close the following car is behind. I was only standing there for 5 minutes when I witnessed my first accident due to a car having to do a 3 point turn and backing into the car behind. As can be seen both these cars had to reverse to make the turn as no car can do a turn without entering the yellow hatched area.
Then its a long walk to the terminal except these passengers have come from the terminal
Last edited by LTNman; 15th Jun 2018 at 19:54.
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New routes to Antalya, Bodrum and Izmir start today from Sun Express
http://www.travelmole.com/news_featu...etreg®ion=2
http://www.travelmole.com/news_featu...etreg®ion=2
Last edited by LTNman; 15th Jun 2018 at 21:56.
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With the latest attempt at providing a new drop off area ending in tears and with one attempt to go when it moves into its final location next year with a move to the ground floor of the new multi-storey the unpalatable truth is that the traffic situation cannot be fixed by current thinking.
Looking at the traffic over the last 2 days it would have been better to have less but wider lanes so cars can turn without being halted by illegally parked cars using the hatched areas as a dropping off point but with cars being directed to use more than one lane the traffic still queues for over a mile. With less traffic using zones B onwards illegal parking is not an issue but the jams remain as cars have to filter into a single lane before the drop off zone. It would have been better to have cars filtering into 2 lanes on the ring road with the second lane giving access to drop off zones C onwards but the ring road is only 2 lanes wide so a third lane would be required for coaches and access to the existing multi-storey .
This month the airport brings out its consultation to double numbers. It is clear the existing CTA can play no part in future airport expansion so a separate CTA and new terminal will be needed.
Looking at the traffic over the last 2 days it would have been better to have less but wider lanes so cars can turn without being halted by illegally parked cars using the hatched areas as a dropping off point but with cars being directed to use more than one lane the traffic still queues for over a mile. With less traffic using zones B onwards illegal parking is not an issue but the jams remain as cars have to filter into a single lane before the drop off zone. It would have been better to have cars filtering into 2 lanes on the ring road with the second lane giving access to drop off zones C onwards but the ring road is only 2 lanes wide so a third lane would be required for coaches and access to the existing multi-storey .
This month the airport brings out its consultation to double numbers. It is clear the existing CTA can play no part in future airport expansion so a separate CTA and new terminal will be needed.
Last edited by LTNman; 16th Jun 2018 at 07:08.
Ut Sementem Feeceris
So, just put up signs (multi lingual) by the hatched No Stopping area saying that you will be fined £60 for stopping in the hatched area (the same as the lay-bys on the approach road - where you ARE fined if caught on camera stopping in them). Put up some dummy cameras....or even real ones and fine people. Or have traffic wardens there with handheld cameras. It really presses my buttons that some people think that rules don’t apply to them and they can do whatever they like with total disregard for anyone else. 
Having an accident in an area like this is a nightmare because it’s not public highway and the police won’t get involved unless someone is hurt....it makes the whole insurance/proof thing very tedious apparently.
A4
Having an accident in an area like this is a nightmare because it’s not public highway and the police won’t get involved unless someone is hurt....it makes the whole insurance/proof thing very tedious apparently.
A4
Looks like Southend is certainly seeing the benefit of the overnight restrictions on bizjets at Luton.
Between midnight and 4am today two Global Expresses and two Legacies arrived at Southend.
Between midnight and 4am today two Global Expresses and two Legacies arrived at Southend.
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So, just put up signs (multi lingual) by the hatched No Stopping area saying that you will be fined £60 for stopping in the hatched area (the same as the lay-bys on the approach road - where you ARE fined if caught on camera stopping in them). Put up some dummy cameras....or even real ones and fine people. Or have traffic wardens there with handheld cameras. It really presses my buttons that some people think that rules don’t apply to them and they can do whatever they like with total disregard for anyone else.
Having an accident in an area like this is a nightmare because it’s not public highway and the police won’t get involved unless someone is hurt....it makes the whole insurance/proof thing very tedious apparently.
A4
Having an accident in an area like this is a nightmare because it’s not public highway and the police won’t get involved unless someone is hurt....it makes the whole insurance/proof thing very tedious apparently.
A4
Private companies can issue parking tickets and may call them Parking Charge Notices, but they are not the same as the Penalty Charge Notice.
They are not backed up by law. Instead, they are invoices for a breach of contract.
If the car park operator wants to force you to pay, they will need to take you to the civil court, which is costly and time-consuming.
I've heard about and spoken to few people who got "fined". Off all of those who didn't pay none were taken to court.
The dual carriageway isn't the problem either. The drop off zone itself is a bottleneck and as long as the drop off charges are competitive to public transport many will choose to get a lift by car. Maybe introducing higher peak time drop off charge would help, but I can see people complaining "I don't have that much money on me. I didn't know I have to pay more at 5am. No english
". That wouldn't look good in the media either..
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Many years ago, after the new terminal was built the airport had the then standard problem of cars parking up while the drivers waited for passengers to come out of the terminal. They would take every inch of kerbside and could sit there for an hour or more so the only place to drop off was in the middle of the drop off lane. The airport then got the towns traffic wardens to patrol the drop off zone but they were wimps and as long as the driver sat in their cars they would do nothing so the problem remained but the point to note is that traffic wardens have patrolled the airport CTA in the past.
The last drop off zone with the single lane and U bend used to have people employed to stop passengers crossing the pedestrian crossing so a few cars at a time could escape but even when that practice was stopped to be honest it made no real difference.
This time when the staff are on the ball and are looking over their shoulder at the available spaces in the first lane they just direct traffic further along so while the first lane gets blocked with the hatched parkers cars are forced to use zone B or C so are not held up if they have avoided the first lane but it does require someone to stand there directing traffic away from the first lane.
The real issue is the shear amount of traffic that travels on the dual carriageway that then has to get into a single lane and then at a slow walking pace do a sharp 90 degree turn where they see for the first time rows of drop off lanes with the first lane immediately to their right so they have no time to take in their surroundings. There are no signposts telling drivers that there are I think 5 or 6 drop off zones which is another reason why everyone would use lane 1 if allowed.
One major blunder is that the bridge over the pedestrian subway is only 2 lanes wide and as a coach and lorry lane has been coned off to avoid the queues there is only one lane available for the drop off zones even if they decide to alter the road layout to put in an extra lane for direct access to zones C onwards after the bridge.
The last drop off zone with the single lane and U bend used to have people employed to stop passengers crossing the pedestrian crossing so a few cars at a time could escape but even when that practice was stopped to be honest it made no real difference.
This time when the staff are on the ball and are looking over their shoulder at the available spaces in the first lane they just direct traffic further along so while the first lane gets blocked with the hatched parkers cars are forced to use zone B or C so are not held up if they have avoided the first lane but it does require someone to stand there directing traffic away from the first lane.
The real issue is the shear amount of traffic that travels on the dual carriageway that then has to get into a single lane and then at a slow walking pace do a sharp 90 degree turn where they see for the first time rows of drop off lanes with the first lane immediately to their right so they have no time to take in their surroundings. There are no signposts telling drivers that there are I think 5 or 6 drop off zones which is another reason why everyone would use lane 1 if allowed.
One major blunder is that the bridge over the pedestrian subway is only 2 lanes wide and as a coach and lorry lane has been coned off to avoid the queues there is only one lane available for the drop off zones even if they decide to alter the road layout to put in an extra lane for direct access to zones C onwards after the bridge.
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In the long term we have to move away from people dropping off at transport hubs by car to public transport to the hub operating H24. Car drop off is so inefficient. We have a similar problem in an industry I am involved in railways. At the moment drop off by car is increasing walking/cycling to stations is decreasing!
I accept that walking/cycling to airports doesn't work but transport to a local public transport hub could dilute car passenger drop off.
Des the airport plan to offer drop off at the new raillink rather than into the airport when it is built?
I accept that walking/cycling to airports doesn't work but transport to a local public transport hub could dilute car passenger drop off.
Des the airport plan to offer drop off at the new raillink rather than into the airport when it is built?
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The existing plans show no road access but what is show and what is built, as we have found out, is usually completely different.
For the last few weeks everyday the construction village is full of cars but no one seems to come out of their portocabins. No idea what they are doing all day but nothing is happening at Parkway or on the route apart from a few pegs by Parkway and a few random holes a foot or so deep. The project is now a good 6 months behind schedule.
For the last few weeks everyday the construction village is full of cars but no one seems to come out of their portocabins. No idea what they are doing all day but nothing is happening at Parkway or on the route apart from a few pegs by Parkway and a few random holes a foot or so deep. The project is now a good 6 months behind schedule.
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So thanks to Google and it’s live traffic I can see Gatwick, Stansted, Heathrow and Birmingham have free flowing traffic almost to their drop off areas despite having pedestrian crossings to cross some of the lanes and then there is Luton which is now crossing free but with traffic queues now passing the Gypsy Lane road junction that is over a mile away. So what are all these airports doing right with there various designed drop off zones and Luton doing so wrong and who just can’t find a solution
(edit) Looking at my reference time of 6:10 I can see the queue is actually much longer than the queue for the old zone that has just been closed.
(edit) Looking at my reference time of 6:10 I can see the queue is actually much longer than the queue for the old zone that has just been closed.
Last edited by LTNman; 17th Jun 2018 at 05:12.
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Some "interesting" new routes announced by Wizz...
Just seen on Wizz Air's Facebook page a number on interesting new routes announced, starting October through to December...
- Eilat/Ovda (Israel)
- Tromso (Norway)
- Verona (Italy)
- Grenoble (France)
All to be operated twice weekly.
Tromso one definitely sounds interesting, and not routes I would necessarily expect!
Wizz Air Press Release
- Eilat/Ovda (Israel)
- Tromso (Norway)
- Verona (Italy)
- Grenoble (France)
All to be operated twice weekly.
Tromso one definitely sounds interesting, and not routes I would necessarily expect!
Wizz Air Press Release
If Wizz are opening Luton - Grenoble, is this perhaps a sign they think adding more flights from Luton to Eastern Europe may not achieve the profitability they want ? Or to put it another way, Luton to Eastern Europe is close to saturation ?
Of course one could argue this is Wizz also trying to diversify into other markets and reduce the risk of being concentrated in the migrant labour market
Of course one could argue this is Wizz also trying to diversify into other markets and reduce the risk of being concentrated in the migrant labour market