Luton Airport

Awful airport. Currently like a massive construction site throughout arrivals and departures. Staff were very rude and there was a complete lack of organisation throughout the airport. The lack of offering in the departure lounge is disappointing, how you can have many designer shops yet no decent places to eat is beyond me. The area by the gates is cheap and tacky even with the new colour scheme, while arriving is depressing.

We arrived at the airport at 5am. Check in was easy, self service (Easyjet). Went through security, which was a relatively easy process. We then arrived in the departure area. This was crowded and lacking seating with people sitting on the floor and standing in the walkways. We eventually found a couple of high stools to perch on. This was not easy for my mother who is 78 years old (although fairly active for her age). It got very hot and stuffy and both she and I began to feel rather unwell. If more seating was put in where the middle shopping areas are it would help ease some congestion. I understand that the airport is having building work done, but we experienced exactly the same problems last November when we travelled.

One of the worst airports in Europe to depart from. Access from the train station is a joke (you can take a rip-off bus for 2 pounds) or walk 30 minutes. No decent eating options before or after check in, no seating close to gates and staff only announce boarding if they feel like. They are investing in upgrading the facilities but I am pretty confident it will remain as poor as it is.

Luton used to be my airport of choice because of its convenience and proximity to where I live. Sadly I am reviewing this and I may look to Heathrow or Gatwick in the future. Why is this? Reason number 1 is Luton is constantly under development and is constantly chaotic. Reason number 2 is Luton drop off parking is 'rip off price'. Reason number 3 is 'meet and greet parking' is so ridiculously laid our currently it is comical. Reason number 4 is once you are lucky enough to navigate all the way to the departure lounge there is never anywhere to sit. Luton airport clearly doesn't do enough the comfort of departing passengers. It appears to have limited its departure seating to be able to rent its floor space to shops.

Terrible service at weekends. Plane parked miles from terminal and they didn't bother sending enough buses or steps. The tiny automated door allowing you to leave airport was broken so spent 20 minutes outside while fairly useless staff failed to open nearby exit. Overcrowded bus to station - 90 mins to leave Luton?

Terrible in every way. There are currently building works on site which is an issue but the actual state of the entire airport is a joke. Not clean anywhere, expensive (as usual for all UK airports) but the real issue are the staff. Obviously poorly trained, especially security who even at this time of the year appeared overwhelmed and disorganised. To add to that some of the security staff have obviously watched too many episodes of CSI Miami, New York or wherever. Hopeless and ignorant, of security and you. If you use this airport at peak times you are done for.

Absolutely horrendous in every way. Not even their own staff are happy. Did not see one staff member smiling, except at pret a manger. I travel quite a bit and have travelled from all airports in London except Luton before today. I get that flying and airports can be a hassle but you get through it and it's generally ok. Flying from Luton will not be a forgettable experience. The security was shocking. I've come across busy security before, not like this though. I'd honestly suggest flying from anywhere else just to avoid the security itself. I just hope all the construction work going on improves Luton. I don't think any amount of work can improve how disorganised this airport really is though. From the reviews I've just seen, I don't think they really care to improve. I just hope more people read reviews of the airport itself before flying.

Luton airport is a truly dreadful place. The pick-up and drop-off area is hideous, the car parks are too far from the terminal and the bus to the railway station is not fit for human travel. The queues for security are massive and slow moving, the staff are surly, loud and officious in the extreme, making the whole entry experience akin to a bad dream. Once through to the terminal everything from books to refreshments is very expensive. The sales assistants could not care whether they serve their customers or not. The one beacon of hope are the toilets which are very clean. The last time I was there passengers were sitting on the floor due to lack of seating - there were no discernible delays either. The walk to even the nearest gate is much too far and involves too many stairs, up and down. Where are the escalators and moving walkways? Luton airport is a horrible experience from start to finish. I live only a few miles from it which is why I have used it frequently. However, I will now start using Stansted and Heathrow even though they are further from my home. I will do anything to avoid Luton airport in the future and recommend that other travellers do the same.

Ok so I first flew from this airport on one of the first Easyjet flights from London Luton to Edinburgh on an old 737-200 at the age of 25 and promised myself never again. Back then it was a building site, I flew from it again in 2012 with work on a private jet and it was still a building site and tonight I picked up my partner who flew in here on business and its still a building site. £7 for 10 mins in the 'Short Term' car park which is still not properly finished with mud filled holes in the surface. You are talking to the converted as personally I will not fly out of or into any other airport than Heathrow as lets face it Luton is in Bedfordshire, Gatwick in Sussex and Stansted is Essex with London City a great hub for short haul European destinations but limited by size for true international destinations other than New York. I suspect it does well for the airlines that serve it offering low cost airlines a low cost airport although its less expensive to park in the enclosed Heathrow T3 short term than the open air semi tarmaced field offered by Luton which is shocking. I remember they charge even for small plastic bags for your liquids so when you add it all up its probably not all as low cost as you think just like when you fly budget. I wanted to write this as I really hoped I'd be writing something positive for this airport all these years on but it appears its been under development ever since I first had the unfortunate experience to use it back in the inagural days of Easyjet.

Luton is the worst airport I have used and that's saying something as I've been to a fair few countries. The first thing that happens is that if you can negotiate the tortuous route through the diversions and road works they rip you off by charging £2.50 for 15 minutes in a drop off zone, apparently it's free from the car parks but you have to wait for a bus that can take up to half an hour or brave the half mile trudge to the terminal building in the wind and the rain whilst dodging the traffic in an attempt not to get run over with your suitcases. Check in is relatively painless in January but I'm sure is horrendous during the summer. If you are a smoker this is your last chance for however long you've got before you land at the other end as Luton isn't civilised like some airports and has no facilities for smokers at all once you go through security. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to set aside a small secure area outside on a balcony or gangway (East Midlands has a really good one) so that smokers can have their "fix" before they board the plane. Security itself is just a bad joke, I know things need to be tighter these days but come on lets be sensible about this, my suitcase has wires and plugs and all sorts of liquids in it but put an ipad or even a breath spray in your hand luggage and it ends up being scanned, re-scanned and swabbed. Surely by now we should have developed technology that's more reliable than some woman with rubber gloves holding a piece of cotton on a stick that makes it look like she's trying to dry clean a lamp shade? I also resent having to walk across their filthy floors in my bare feet because there's a remote chance I might have explosives in the heel of one or both of my shoes. How difficult is it to tell that the seal hasn't been broken on a plastic bottle of coke?, how do they know that the stuff they've taken in to the shops on the other side of security hasn't been tampered with? The shops and airlines are on to a winner because they get carte blanche to rip you off because you've no other options. When you do finally get through to departures there isn't anywhere to sit. Most of the seating is in retail areas where the prices are so high that if you had a meal you would have no spending money left for your holiday. Even in January people were sitting on the floor all over the place, even on the route down to the gates. The expansion starting has only made things worse, there are roadworks everywhere, most of the buildings look and feel temporary and you literally have to walk miles to get from the terminal to your plane. When we landed they even had the next lot of passengers queuing up outside waiting for us to get off the plane. As for passport control, well done to the human being staff - they were beating the scanning machines with no trouble. This is pretty much what it must feel like to be cattle and be herded around at someone else's whim, maybe that's it, someone unseen is playing a game and seeing how much rubbish we will take before we give up and stop flying altogether? This airport is so bad they should level it and start again.