Luton Airport

Have used Luton 4 times this year at different times of day and week. Same each time with traffic queuing back to the Ibis hotel and huge queues before security. You need to give yourself 3 hrs to hopefully be in time for your flight. Airport Security experience is met with stony faced officials who appear to enjoy ordering people around. There is usually some sort of incident - I was brusquely ordered to take my hand out my pocket when going through the scanner.

As a regular commuter to Switzerland last year I made the decision to move out of London and back up the A1. Having used Gatwick and Heathrow you have a few gripes but if only I knew. With Stansted not being available until Ski Season I am faced with Luton for the majority of the year. Every week I fight to get to the airport on time for my flight. Getting to the terminal is dire the congestion and planning behind the feed into that roundabout is nothing short of mindless. Unfortunately I cannot see how they can now go back. I have not made it to the terminal by transport on a Monday morning for 3 months always resulting in legging it from a few hundred yards the wrong side of the roundabout. In fact the airport carpark shuttle bus regularly just opens the doors and let's its passengers make the dash - I dread the wetter months coming. Once in the terminal it is quite quick - provided you take the £3 priority security option which although very quick compared to the alternative is just a wrong concept when taking into account you are only late because of the traffic congestion arriving at the terminal. Arrivals - the immigration is quite often stacked up and the last thing you need. In general I like to think I'm an easy going guy who doesn't grumble too much - but I really hate getting up at 4am on a Monday morning knowing I'm hit or miss as to whether I will get my flight.

Having read recent postings about early morning traffic congestion I thought we'd be okay with a Sunday lunchtime departure. Wrong. Huge queues of frustrated motorists funnelling into a roundabout where two lanes of traffic merge into one - and meet cars trying to get out of the long stay car park. Finally get to the mid stay car park which turns out to be a patch of waste ground with no labelled bays or numbered bus stops. Fine if this was offered at rock-bottom prices but it's not. Far pricier then comparative well-ordered parking at both Stansted and Gatwick. At the tin shed terminal long lines of people shuffling around in a seventh circle of hell. Not a great start to any trip but how will things ever change here? This airport patently finds it almost impossible to cope with increased passenger numbers. I'll not be adding to the congestion in the foreseeable future.

The chaos getting into the airport by road (the only way in reality) is horrendous. If anyone from Luton Airport management bothers to read these comments this item should be top of the agenda. Whoever devised the "crossover" of traffic entering and leaving the drop-off area and paying for the privilege. Meanwhile the spacious area for the odd taxi to wait in the previous free drop-off area is just about empty. Another little money grabbing scheme in operation the other week (probably permanent) the escalator to the first floor departure area is now barred to ordinary people - reserved for those paying for fast track.

Traffic on the access road is horrendous early morning. Bus from the station is not an option as it gets caught in the traffic. Using the 30 mins free drop off facility in the car park is not a solution as the bus servicing that gets caught in the traffic. There are people getting out of cars all over the place and walking the final stretch up to the terminal despite the prospect of the £80 fine. The problem is not new. The introduction of the £1 drop off charge by the terminal was being blamed for this chaos in 2009. Surely time to sort out a solution ASAP. Luton could be so convenient for so many people but this chaos is unacceptable.

The queues for security are a joke all the way to the back wall down the stairs and into arrivals. There were stacks of bags from people who never made their planes. Management need to wake up and sort it out.

The queues at security when departing were terribly long which spoilt the experience at least the queues were well managed. It took so long to go through that process that I didn't have time to do anything else other than go straight to the departure gate. When returning there was only a short wait at border control although it took a while for baggage to arrive. I used public transport to get to and from the airport and it was very convenient to have the bus stands right in front of the terminal.

Luton must be the worse airport in the south of England. The traffic goes from two lanes to one you then have to pay £1 to drop off passengers. If you are lucky to get the airport then you are faced with long queues for security. The only staff who want to offer any advice are the special assistance staff who seem to have to battle through the crowds to get to their desks. There is nobody to offer any help with delays you go the special assistance desk they will try and help but will offer you the use of a phone where nobody from easyjet picks up.

The queue for security took over an hour why can't the airport management work out what the expected passenger volume will be and accommodate for this.

Luton Airport is a real disaster. The terminal building a large and now rapidly ageing retail shed are dated and in some places derelict. The whole traffic organisation with the requirement to pay £1 to drop off leads to chaos with mass ranks of passengers dragging bags and children in the pouring rain. It requires proper sustained investment to bring the gates security and arrivals areas up to even a basic standard.