Luton-10
Join Date: Jul 2002
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Welcome to Luton. A low cost airport with a low cost experience. It doesn’t seem to put many people off but some aspects of the airport are badly designed and grim in the extreme. Nothing will ever change as that is the business model except more people will be pushed through the front door to make the overcrowding worse at peak times.
Last edited by LTNman; 21st Mar 2024 at 21:28.
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Having just used LTN for midday flights with infants in tow for a change all I can say is what a miserable experience the airport was despite arriving two hours ahead of flight. Midterm drop off by taxi as close as taxi driver could get to terminal. Walk in the rain from midterm drop off to bus stop that had no shelter to wait for overcrowded bus that initially takes you further from the terminal to turn around, Walk in the rain from bus drop off to terminal. Bag drop off counters unable to accept bags that other airports can thus requiring taking bags to excess baggage. Endless taped off chicane maze just to get to security despite being a quiet time of day. Last call boarding call made almost 40 minutes before departure. No escalator or lift, only an assault course of many flights of stairs with pushchairs to get to holding pen with no seats for allocated gate. Standing in rain to board aircraft via stairs. Made the whole LTN airport experience all very grim and unfit for purpose with young children, I’m sure the experience for any other physically challenged passengers must be similarly grim. Next flight I’m probably going to vote with my feet again and take the train to LGW despite LTN only being down the road for me.
Sympathy for the airport re the car park. But how is that structure still standing so long after the event with vehicles still in situ? Who is in charge, Captain Slow?
Awful customer experience getting to the ‘new’ pick up point. Walk much further and I could have raised a serious amount for charity.
Building works in the departure lounge showing little to no progress since November last year. Lack of screens dotted around to conveniently see departure status.
And for the umpteenth time, the vast majority of passport e-gates not working on Tuesday night.
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Nothing further has happened to a second temporary drop off area inside the CTA since my last report.
Ryebridge seem to be using just one man and his dog so progress is at a crawl.
Building works in the departure lounge showing little to no progress since November last year.
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Build cheap and pay the price. Just one car catching fire brings down an entire multi story car park, causes the total loss of a drop off area, closes the entire airport for around 18 hours, shuts the Dart down for weeks and will cause airport disruption for around 2 years including the prolonged closure of the CTA ring road until at least the end of 2025 meaning no service road access to the main terminal.
Last edited by LTNman; 23rd Mar 2024 at 19:30.
Build cheap and pay the price. Just one car catching fire brings down an entire multi story car park, causes the total loss of a drop off area, closes the entire airport for around 18 hours, shuts the Dart down for weeks and will cause airport disruption for around 2 years including the prolonged closure of the CTA ring road until at least the end of 2025 meaning no service road access to the main terminal.
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A part of me finds the situation the operator and LRT finds itself in strangely satisfying. They are both the victims of greed so I have zero sympathy. Ultimately it is the passengers who are the true victims. 1500 cars were written off with the operator refusing to take any responsibility for the uninsured loses. Their attitude has been the same from day one. Nothing to do with us, go to your insurance company, as we don’t want to know.
You can be sure the premium drop off area will come at a premium price of around £10. No barriers to enter or exit, just a camera and a £100 fine if payment isn’t made within 24 hours. Two nice little earners for the operator to claw back the lost income it is suffering now.
You can be sure the premium drop off area will come at a premium price of around £10. No barriers to enter or exit, just a camera and a £100 fine if payment isn’t made within 24 hours. Two nice little earners for the operator to claw back the lost income it is suffering now.
Last edited by LTNman; 24th Mar 2024 at 10:03.
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The signs are there for a challenging summer with the gridlock of the airport approach roads this afternoon. This is not helped by drivers blocking exit routes on the Holiday Inn roundabout as they force their way onto the roundabout that then stops other drivers exiting the roundabout.
Join Date: Jan 2005
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You are just stirring again.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Luton
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Multistorey Car Park rebuild
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The planning application consultation for the rebuild is now on the council's planning portal (dated18th March). It's an exact like-for-like rebuild but will incorporate a sprinkler fire suppression system. The application follows a recommendation from the local fire officer which is also uploaded. That document also includes a recommendation to fit a system to the other car park. The application also states that demolition of the old car park is due to be complete by May 2024 and existing ground foundations to be retained where possible - that should minimise new pile driving.
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Press release about the fire published this week. https://www.bedsfire.gov.uk/news/fir...d-accidentally
Fitting sprinklers in MSCP1 is a no brainier, as the cheap design, materials used and construction method has shown that any car fire in that carbon copy car park could also completely destroy it and close the airport again. If they want insurance cover they might have no choice particularly as they have a bank of EV chargers located between the floors that the other one didn’t.
Maybe they should next look at the terminal, as most of the terminal has no sprinklers either, as it was part of Project Cheap to cut costs to a minimum. Again not required by law but that doesn’t mean it is not a good idea.
Fitting sprinklers in MSCP1 is a no brainier, as the cheap design, materials used and construction method has shown that any car fire in that carbon copy car park could also completely destroy it and close the airport again. If they want insurance cover they might have no choice particularly as they have a bank of EV chargers located between the floors that the other one didn’t.
Maybe they should next look at the terminal, as most of the terminal has no sprinklers either, as it was part of Project Cheap to cut costs to a minimum. Again not required by law but that doesn’t mean it is not a good idea.
Last edited by LTNman; 26th Mar 2024 at 06:28.
Join Date: Oct 2006
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I see Wizz are using Avion Express on a couple of services today. The CEO was on Sky business yesterday saying that they would be using third party operators from time to time during the summer. I would imagine P&W will be picking up the tab.
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I know the CP2 fire has been debated alot on these pages, but should EVs be allowed at all with the fire service rather wanting them to burn out themselves?
http://BBC News - The crews bracing ...gland-66866327
http://BBC News - The crews bracing ...gland-66866327
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This is a link that works
The crews bracing themselves for a rise in electric car fires https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66866327
The crews bracing themselves for a rise in electric car fires https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66866327
While not started by an electric vehicle, the fire at Luton Airport last year did end up involving EV, he says, and laid the bare the potential consequences of fires spreading from one vehicle to another.
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Is Ryanair increasing its based aircraft from 6 to 7 from tomorrow? There is a max positioning in from STN tonight and FlightRadar24 is showing 7 first wave departures on Sunday and Monday.
Apologies for the duplicate post on the carpark rebuild, I totally missed the original. To make up, I took this whilst boarding from the South Stands on Friday morning. The vast majority is now demolished
Apologies for the duplicate post on the carpark rebuild, I totally missed the original. To make up, I took this whilst boarding from the South Stands on Friday morning. The vast majority is now demolished
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Going back through the slot coordination for S24 at LTN, I was reminded about Transavia France still requesting slots.
Last edited by pabely; 31st Mar 2024 at 00:24.