EZY Dortmund -> LTN looks likely to be maxed out after tonights result! I wonder if Lufty will call another strike over the period as well!!

This appeared yesterday on the Greenline website.

Green Line 757 - Change to Arrangements

From the 1st May there may be a change to the way our Green Line service collects you from and takes you to London Luton Airport. Any change will come into effect from 1st May 2013 at Midnight, 00.00 am.

At this time we are still unable to confirm what may happen but we will ensure you reach the airport or connect you with our coach service to London. A link via another vehicle may be necessary to connect with our coach.

To keep updated please keep in contact with us by one of the following channels

Twi*ter ***
Facebook ***
Phone ***
24 hour mobile ***

We apologise for not being able to offer more detailed information at this time but will keep the channels listed above updated on a regular basis, updates will also appear on a daily basis on this web page.


We thank you for your patience.

No mention that National Express won the contract and have allocated the Luton- London service the flagship route number A1. I would think that most passengers will not have a clue as to what is going and will continue to use GreenLine. Maybe GreenLine will run a shuttle coach service to Luton Town Centre where the London service will start and end.

Greenline are still showing a timetable beyond May and are still selling tickets.

Unusual sight today in the North West corner, outside the Gulfstream hangar. With its tail up against the fence TUI has parked a 757 with the airlines markings painted out. With the South Stands only occupied by a single Monarch Airbus no doubt there is money to be saved by parking in a FBO area.

The last time I saw a TUI/Thomson/Britannia Airways aircraft parked there was when the airline parked up some Bristol Britannia's for scrapping.

I see the meagre seating in the departure lounge has been cut as much of the central area surrounding the retail area has itself been converted to retail use. If you don’t want a coffee or a current bun it might be the case of standing room only.

The food area next to Boots the Chemist which was called Est… has now closed and will become a Frankie and Benny’s outlet which opens in May.

Downstairs Cotton Traders has now closed and is being replaced by the Yellow Ruler or some such similar name.

I see the council have still not set a date to look at the planning application for the expansion of the airport. Wonder if this has something to do with the possible sale of the lease to a new owner.

Will this will ever be built?

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9964/newterminal.jpg

LTN expansion
 

I have to admit I am not big fan of LTN airport but looking at the plans for extending and modernising the current terminal I think they look very good and I hope they go ahead as I think it will transform the airport experience and is much needed for the airport.

All the pictures showing the terminal improvements look very good although not ideal due to the lack of space in the CTA.

I understand that Darwin Airlines are expected to announce a UK based operation soon. No airport stated yet, but I would have thought a Saab 2000 to Waterford and Galway twice daily to each would be an ideal fit? They were good well established routes until Aer Stobart pulled off.

Darwin airlines
 

New base 2014 Cambridge, as per Inghams preview 2014 brochure.regardsStuart

It seems that Greenline are not going to give up their London coach service without a fight.

UPDATE - 29th April 2013
From the 1st May there may be a change to the way our Green Line service collects you from and takes you to London Luton Airport.

The change comes into effect at Midnight on Wednesday 1st May 2013.

There are no changes to the timetable departures from London. The coach will now terminate at an offsite car parking facility were you will be transferred to a shuttle bus. The shuttle bus will take you to the airport, the journey is only 5 minutes long. The transfer journey is free of charge. Please see map for directions between the terminal building and the bus stop.

For your return journey, you will go to stop 12 and the shuttle bus will connect you again with the coach to London.

Our staff will be on site to ensure a swift and easy transfer.

They go on to mention that they are dropping their fares and also show a map of the pick up point which is the private coach stop in the car drop off zone.

GREENLINE - Green Line 757 - Change to Arrangements

So with both National Express and Greenline now running services to London there are up to 10 services an hour peak and 148 coaches in each direction a day.

Add to that the 7 trains an hour to London operated by First Capital Connect and East Midland trains I would say that Luton Airport has the best public transport links to London after Heathrow.

Cambridge! Had a look at Inghams on-line, no mention of Cambridge? Can you post a link Stuart Hammond please?

I might be totally misinterpreting it, but to me it more or less comes across Greenline have been banned from operating on the airport premises...

I appreciate the airport is more or less private property, but surely in this day and age of open markets, the airport cannot ban a bus operator from operating there and restricting the markets to it's passengers.

The reason why I have come to this conclusion, is the way the Greenline website goes to the effort of pointing out it will be another operator transferring them to the terminal!

Greenline are owned by Arriva, and they have their own local busses running to the airport and can only assume Greenline are banned from using these buses to transfer ticketed London passengers to the terminal too.

I just hope Greenline can make this sort of service work, and would be sorry to see them go, as they have been loyal to the airport for years. But when they cannot sell tickets on the airport property and passengers have to transfer buses, when there is a direct non-stop service available to London, they will be having a serious disadvantage.

This deal by National Express, must be some series wonga for the airport!

National Express have been running a London Victoria-Stansted coach for years - the walk-up one way price has been £10 for the last few years. Greenline have wanted £17 for a one-way walk-up fare for London-Luton
Suddenly, Greenline decide they can offer London-Luton for £10 as well.

Sounds to me like a bit of competition has finally stopped a monopolist overcharging.

Darwin at Cambridge
 

Inghams website, brochure request, then view online the L&M 2014 Preview brochure

I think they have been banned but it gets better. Easybus runs joint services with Greenline, and let us remember that many of the Greenline coaches are in easybus colours but that arrangement ends tonight. From May 1st Easybus are starting up their own minibus service to Baker Street, which is one of the stops on the Greenline service. So Easybus can operate into the CTA but Greenline can’t.

Luton is now up to 14 coaches an hour at peak time!!!:eek: Thats one coach departure every 4 minutes to London. If you add the railway shuttle bus which is 6 busses an hour that brings it down to a departure every 3 minutes.

I wonder who will give in first?

Luton Airport - London to Luton transfers - easyBus

.

I honestly checked easyBus'es website lastnight and was giving the same advise as Greenline on their new arrangement to get people up to the terminal...

Has this change by easyBus literally happened overnight?!

I wonder if this is panic measure by easyJet/easyBus, as they knew the new Greenline arrangement would be unacceptable to passengers, having to transfer on to another bus. Maybe they have scrambled a few buses from the Gatwick and Stansted routes to operate the Luton route.

Well before you knock Greenline, National Express are clearly cashing in on passengers at Luton... The internet fare is £10.50+£1 booking fee, and you can guarantee walk on fares are going to be more than this!

The internet booking fees for Stansted and Gatwick with National Express in £6.50+£1 booking fee!

Easybus minibus service to and from other London airports have really bad 1 star reviews. Easybus reviews | Customer reviews of Easybus

Bus company Arriva says it is taking legal action over its Green Line 757 service being “excluded” from serving Luton Airport.

Last month we revealed the company had lost the contract for the route between the airport and central London.

National Express would instead provide the service from May 1, Luton Airport Operations Limited (LLAOL) said.

But Arriva says it has learned a second bus company will also be running between the airport and the capital.

Heath Williams, regional managing director, said: “Competition in the bus market is important both for passengers and the industry. “The decision to prevent Arriva – but potentially allow other operators to serve the airport – is confusing for both operators and customers. It prevents a level playing field for bus operators, something which we are challenging strongly through legal proceedings against LLAOL, and is not in the best long-term interest of passengers.”

Fares had been reduced and the 757 would now call at Airport Carparkz in Eaton Green Road, he added.

A spokesman for LLAOL said: “Following an open and competitive tender process we aim to further strengthen this vital transport link in partnership with National Express who will operate the route from May 1, and deliver improved services for airport passengers.”

Luton Airport bus ban ?not in passengers? interests? - Local - Luton Today

Good for Arqiva, I hope they win this one!

National Express and Greenline were allowed to co-exist previously, this is just a money making exercise by the airport, where they give exclusive access to one of these two operators and reap the rewards!

I wonder how much NX are paying for this arrangement and wonder if the airport is receiving a cut in all the tickets sold?!

Like a said yesterday, NX are ripping off passengers using the airport, charging fares which are far higher than those they operate between London and Gatwick and Stansted. On these routes they offer lead in fares of £6.50 and lead in fare for Luton is £10.50!

UEFA Champions League Final Slot Allocation Procedure 2013
 

So the fun starts with slots and airport requests.....