Luton Airport

I have used airports all over the world and Luton is the worst that I have come across. Upon arrival at the start of our holiday we entered the departures concourse to find aimless queues snaking all over the building with no clear designation for the various desks and no staff around to offer support or advice. It was complete and utter chaos. Upon our return it took 90 minutes from landing to the arrivals gate huge queues in arrivals- despite a 'rapid' passport lane check for British nationals and other members of the EU who have an 'E passport' this lane was naturally shut. There was an 'operational problem' which delayed our check in baggage arrival for 45 minutes once again there was no support or consideration given from airport staff. We found the organisation of the airport to be a complete shambles and the attitude of the staff was quite frankly awful. The woman who checked our passports at immigration chewing gum with a gormless expression could have quite frankly just walked off the set of 'Little Britain'- not a very inspiring entry to the UK. All in all a very disappointing experience.

I have to agree with other comments. Luton is the worst airport in the UK. Luton Airport stated that the £1 drop- off charge would ease congestion. Dropping some friends off the vehicle queues snaked at least a mile from the airport. Many people including those with small children were walking. Frustrated car drivers are now told they will be fined £80 if they drop passengers off anywhere on the approach road. This really is an example of ultimate greed. I only live 15 mins from Luton Airport and because of the continued chaos I always elect to fly from Stansted which is about an hours drive. At Stansted I am guaranteed ease of arrival and hassle-free parking.

There seems to be a growing consensus on this site that Luton is the worst airport in the UK. Having just passed through it for the first time in about 8 yrs I can confirm that view. The queues are unbelievable. Starting on the approach road and then at every possible point onwards. The operators of this airport clearly do not care about customers. They take every opportunity to charge whether it be dropping off passengers bypassing security queue priority boarding etc. The only saving grace is the business lounge which achieves an average status by UK standards - Internet is free and there are a few snacks and drinks.

We got to passport control having arrived from Barcelona. The queue was massive and took us 40 mins to get through - this represented about a third of the journey time. I find this wholly unacceptable: if they can not sensibly cope with the amount of traffic they should decrease the number of flights they handle.

I agree with the suggestion below that this is arguably the worst airport in the UK. The revolving doors at the entrance to departures struggle to cope with the footfall and are incredibly slow. There seems to be a massive lack of check in space with spiralling queues and airline staff struggling to keep queues and check-in under control. Sprinkler system activated and leaking water all over emergency doors in departures. Food outlets over-priced and food poor quality. Security queue an absolute disgrace in terms of amount of time you are expected to wait. I refuse to pay for the express service - you should not have to wait more than 15 minutes regardless of whether you pay extra. Many of us waited over 40 minutes in the normal security line. Airline staff constantly having to shout out flight numbers so certain passengers could be brought to the front of the queue to ensure that they don't miss their flight. Not professional and not a good image of the UK to be sending to the world.

At 6 am on a Sunday morning in April there was a queue of traffic from the terminal back to the Ibis Hotel roundabout. Took the risk of being dropped off on the road to avoid missing our flight despite the warnings of penalties for doing so. Once through the embarkation check point we found the combs before the security check were absolutely packed with anxious travellers so we 'relanded' and paid to use the security 'priority' channel. The walkways were full of highly stressed people running for their gate presumably delayed by the security queues. Moral - dont assume that there are any quiet times and give yourself 3 hours just in case. Just glad we had no luggage to check in.

I checked in online and was only carrying hand baggage so unable to comment of queues at the check-in security was quick through in 5-10 mins. Good selection shops restaurants and foreign exchange. Great thing with the airport is the walk to your departure gate is no more than five minutes. Arrived back around lunchtime and airport was very quiet took only 10 mins from disembarking the aircraft to exiting the terminal. Airport is 29 miles from Central London but unlike other London airports the railway station is not actually on the airport site and have to take a five minute bus ride to the station.

This is a budget airport and is 50 miles away from London. Transport to and from the airport is quite easy - you can get the half-hourly coach from London Victoria bus station or the train from a wide number of stations. The pre security check in halls are big and very airy and a large number of food/drink outlets. The toilets that I used were clean and security was quick though this was at 5:30am. Also security were very helpful when I lost my boarding pass and reassured me that I would still be able to fly and they did seem very professional. Once through the security airside not as bright or airy but quite big with enough seats. The pre security bit needs more seating for passengers and in the early hours it was quite cold. I didn't like the fact that they charge for the plastic bags at security when other London airports had them for free. The gate areas need more seating and more staff cohesion - someone repeatedly opening and closing the doors to a freezing airstrip at 7 in the morning when everyone is tired is not good. The airport website indicates that the coffee shop is closed but just to be on the safe side I'd go to one of the Costa or Nero stands or wait until you are airside.

The destination map on the airport website used to show which airlines served each destination. Now all you get is a timetable which does not show the airline or airline code and you have to click on the airport portal to make a booking presumably through an agent of the airport company. I queried this on the airport website but did not get a response. Also the 'live flight information' is not very' live' for example the EZY flight to Edinburgh today was showing 'depart at scheduled time' on the Luton Screen when the BAA screen at Edinburgh was showing a 30 minute arrival delay for at least an hour before the scheduled departure time from LTN. Indeed the Luton screen never showed any delay and the flight details simply disappeared from the screen about 30 minutes after the scheduled time. Not very helpful.

Luton seems to want to make a statement that although it's a lot smaller than Heathrow and Gatwick it can handle everything just as well if not better. Certainly having travelled through Luton several times mostly transferring between easyJet flights I have been impressed by the efforts made to make the passenger experience as enjoyable as possible - the modern and clean terminal provides a good range of shops cafes and other services on both sides ample seating and signage is clear. This airport is ideal for the less experienced traveller who likes comfort and convenience and would prefer shorter walks to the boarding gates. Over 30 miles from London but frequent rail services will get you there quickly.