Luton Airport

My worst airport experience. Only one desk for UK and EU and non British passports. One local lady hysterical because of the extremely long queue, more than 2 hours since we arrived at 6.30 pm from Copenhagen. We got our passports at 8.50 pm. The staff should consider many holiday makers with little children and babies have to endure these extremely long queues. I will not be using this airport again.

I have used this airport for arrivals, departures, and for connecting flights. They make you go through security again if you are connecting flights and will insist on any liquids acquired at the previous airport being in a sealed airport bag with a receipt so watch out if you are carrying any duty free. You have to go outside to get between the arrivals and the departures sections of the airport. The hot dog stand just outside the departures building will charge you for paying by card so carry cash or get food elsewhere. Certain members of the security team are extremely rude. I had to make a complaint to the manager about a member of staff who told me to "come on, get on with it, walk. You put one foot I front of the other, move." I am a frequent flier and had been up all night travelling. We should not be treated like cattle. I received no apology although the staff member was "spoken to". The departure lounge is too small and can be crowded. The ladies toilets in the departure lounge have been done up and reopened a week ago but the sensor taps are terrible and squirt air at you as well as water. One of the taps is already broken, the cubicles are too small, and no one can make the taps work. It can take up to 20 minutes to get to your gate from the departure lounge and there are no travelators or trolleys. The only trolleys I saw were at arrivals and need to be paid for. The free wifi only lasts for 30 minutes which is not enough. After that you have to pay for WiFi. There are very few plugs available for charging devices. There are two next to the boots shop in the departure lounge and a few more inside the Frankie and Bennie's restaurant but you have to buy something. The Pret à Manger café is very drafty and cold because the refrigeration system blows cold air towards most of the tables. The gates are small and cramped and to access them you have to use stairs. There are not enough seats at the gates.

Probably the worst airport in the UK and possibly Europe and by a long way I feel. The approach to the drop off is always a bottle neck that not only delays you but takes money off you for the privilege. There are cameras and cctv vans all around to only make sure they get their pound of flesh. The contempt this airport has for its customers is staggering. Will never use this airport again. Be warned.

Easyjet flight from Paphos arrived 30 minutes early. 90 minutes later and no baggage has appeared and we are all standing like lemons! This is for operational reasons a very bored tannoy announcer told us. I suggest Easyjet ask for their landing fee back. I will never be using Luton Airport again.

This airport is a shocker and every journey there is a major problem. Top of the list has to be baggage handling on arrival, it would be kind to even describe this as woeful with waits of an hour quite common. Traffic is snarled up so do allow extra time to come in to the airport. Departure lounges are basic and arrivals (proudly announcing London Luton International) are approaching third world standards. Departures lounge frequently resembles an overcrowded street market bordering on chaos - expect a significant wait for the toilet facilities whether male or female. Don't even think about trying to find a seat in departure lounge! This airport is dire, but reasonably well located for the north west London quadrant. It is undergoing a significant redevelopment which is long overdue (why has it taken so long?) but given the inherent underlying problems, particularly baggage handling on arrivals, you have to wonder whether it will just be a shiny new box but with the same old problems.

Yet again a long wait for luggage after a late evening arrival at Luton airport. And yet again no information whatsoever about when our luggage might finally appear or even what's up. I use Luton airport as the parking is convenient and departures work well but these delays on arrival are too much. I need to not be hanging around here again while my schedule spirals down the toilet and nothing happens.

I cannot believe that you have to pay to drop off or pick up at Luton Airport! Even if you get a taxi you have to pay the 'pick up/drop off' charge on top of your fare! This is supposed to be an international Airport! No way, every other main proper airport across the world does not charge for a drop off or pick up! £2.50 for the convenience! What a joke, no credibility

Luton airport is to be avoided. But for fact it is by far the closest airport to home but I would not use it. Queued in traffic for 40 minutes from 5.25am on a Monday morning to get to the drop off zone (apparently normal), forced to pay £2 for a trolley and then walked the c.200m to the terminal itself. Utter jobsworth at the oversized baggage area (perils of flying with small children and their car seats), 20 minutes to get through security even though we'd paid for priority lane - all in all thoroughly unpleasant. Arrival better, though as others have noted it is a long walk with multiple stairs to get to passports. Did not have to wait too long for bags though that is about as good as it gets.

Outbound was an early 0600 check in. Ground agents for Wizzair were very speedy and polite. Security no real queues and again staff polite and efficient. Hardly any seating in departures other than at the food outlets. From parking in short term, checking in with luggage, clearing security and walking into departure area was 30 minutes. Now that was very,very good. Try doing that at LHR. Returned on a foggy afternoon meant slight delay in landing. No queues at Passport Control. E gates worked fine. Luggage retrieval was a disappointment though. 50 minutes wait for the suitcase and was lucky it was one of the first on the belt. Gents toilets absolutely filthy. The real let down however was the appalling state of the short term car park. Full of potholes and mud. Would put a third world village market to shame. Where do the (considerable) charges go? An absolute disgrace and the Airport Authorities should be ashamed.

Luton Airport is in a constant state of re-building without sufficient concern given to the passengers, who are after all, the key people for whom the airport serves. The journey from the drop off car parks has been difficult and dangerous for years with insufficient separation between pedestrians and vehicles, and very poor surfaces with far too many puddles in the rain. Airside, there are far too few seats. The journey to the gates can be too long with many stairs. Upon return the journey to baggage collection is a route march with lots of stairs. It appears that whoever planned the airport paid absolutely no attention to the needs of passengers. One has an overwhelming sense that all agencies in the airport are only interested in separating passengers from their money with high prices with extremely poor value for money. An example on 2 December was an appalling rate of exchange of 1.22 Euros to the pound which was at least ten percent below what banks were offering that day. The facilities airside seemed organised for the benefit of the shops and not the passengers. This is fundamentally wrong headed and should be reversed as a matter equity and fairness.