News: new Luton Airport drop-off area, KLM expands flights at Belfast City

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• Thywillbedone says:

  25 Jul25 July 07:41

  No other airport in the modern world treats its passengers with such contempt as Luton. As a forced, occasional user of Wizzair, there is nothing more dispiriting than schlepping with heavy bags on the long, winding walk from drop-off to airport terminal (whether in weather that is too warm or blustery with rain as it regularly can be). It’s more than 250 metres too although my perception may be skewed in the same way 15 minutes in the dentist’s chair would feel longer than 15 minutes in the company of Greta Garbo …

  • John Murray says:

    25 Jul25 July 08:32

    Not a regular traveller through MAN then? 😁

    • Josh says:

      25 Jul25 July 14:06

      I am tempted to go via MAN more frequently. As long as I have a hard hat with me 🙂

  • John says:

    25 Jul25 July 08:37

    Have your driver drop you at Parkway station and take the new shuttle for a fiver. Or arrive by Thameslink and tap all the way through.

    • Rhys says:

      25 Jul25 July 08:46

      The shuttle also drops you about 250m away from the Terminal!

      • Thywillbedone says:

        25 Jul25 July 09:55

        Indeed. Any journey involving Luton Airport is multi-leg before you even reach the terminal! I can’t be the only one not surprised when the tin box masquerading as a car park went up in smoke – structure never had an air of permanence about it – in keeping with other aspects of the airport which leave you scratching your head.

      • John says:

        25 Jul25 July 10:36

        I park for free near Dunstable and take bus A for £2, that drops you as near as possible

  • TooPoorToBeHere says:

    25 Jul25 July 09:11

    Mate, compared to MAN, LTN is a beacon of competence and good sense.

    I don’t mind LTN. It’s basic but it works. Sensibly walkable from acceptably-priced parking to the terminal; security works; check-in works; it’s not luxurious but it feels like a cheap facility in a modern country rather than a chaotic third world one.

    • Londonsteve says:

      25 Jul25 July 13:33

      I last flew from MAN 25 years ago and everything was fine. What is wrong with the airport today? I’m reading about lots of dissatisfied passengers.

• JDB says:

  25 Jul25 July 08:33

  What started as £5 drop off charges are now creeping up, Gatwick and Bristol now £6 and Stansted £7. Heathrow looking rather modest at £5.

  • Geoff says:

    25 Jul25 July 09:57

    If they can get away with charging it, why wouldn’t they?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      25 Jul25 July 12:06

      It’s a 100% captive market they have no choice but to pay to stop any decent distance from the terminal. It’s actually a joke you can’t not pay it with lots of luggage. None of us are expecting our family to drag suitcases on to buses etc when we don’t need to.

      Airports are using it as a way to get round the limitations on their landing fees and frankly it’s completely unfair on the consumer.

      • Geoff says:

        25 Jul25 July 13:23

        It’s not a 100% captive market. Are you saying nobody gets to Heathrow on either the tube or train? That can’t be the case.

        People are free to use other airports or other transport methods to avoid the charge.

        It’s capitalism. The consumer doesn’t matter. Heathrow is privately owned and needs to maximise its profits

• Ian says:

  25 Jul25 July 10:31

  At least Heathrow doesn’t charge disabled customers.

  Luton does!

  Although you can go to the terminal Car Park 1 for up to 30 minutes without charge. But you need to go up to the level 2 to confirm this. I assume with your blue badge, which then means your car might be in a disabled bay without a badge!!!

  Not very disabled friendly.

  • Paul says:

    25 Jul25 July 11:42

    But it will leave you for hours on aircraft next to the bogs or abandoned elsewhere.

    No other airport in the modern world treats its passengers with such contempt as Luton.”

    Heathrow…hold my beer!

• Alan Alan says:

  25 Jul25 July 13:17

  I had the misfortune to have to do drop offs at Luton in May and the temporary drop off location was a disaster. It was more like 500 m to the Wizz Air terminal. Shuttle buses are few and slow.
  I will do everything to avoid at least until the car park is rebuilt.

  • Londonsteve says:

    25 Jul25 July 13:36

    You forgot to mention however that drop off and collection was free due to the inconvenience of the relocated zone because of the car park fire. You’re right about the lack of bus transfers, I think LTN was encouraging people to walk.

• apbj says:

  25 Jul25 July 14:51

  A lot of moaners on here! LTN might not be an enjoyable experience but access is easier than many, many airports. 250m is nothing compared to the distances you can expect to have to walk from surface access at the likes of LYS or IST, and trivial in comparison to distances walked once inside the likes of MAD or LGW. With the Thameslink, DART and now St Pancras shuttle options, it’s pretty easy from London. If you’re flying Wizzair, a walk in the rain is going to be the very least of your discomforts!

  • Rob says:

    25 Jul25 July 16:31

    It is growing on me, having been there a couple of times for events in the last year. The DART is a game changer and the terminal is far more pleasant than it used to be. You’ve even got a second lounge now, and both lounges have just been refurbished.

  • ADS says:

    25 Jul25 July 18:01

    “If you’re flying Wizzair, a walk in the rain is going to be the very least of your discomforts”

    ha ha – maybe Wizz pay LTN to make life uncomfortable so that passengers are acclimated to their service!

    • Londonsteve says:

      25 Jul25 July 20:07

      Putting aside the hard to ignore issue of reliability, their on board service is very good. Staff are polite and well trained. The hard product is no better or worse than any of the LCCs, the aircraft are virtually all brand new. My biggest gripe with Wizz (other than the aforementioned reliability) is the arbitrary way they price extras. Priority boarding, checked luggage and seats can vary from reasonable to stark raving bonkers depending on route and departure time. Ryanair is much more consistent (and consistently affordable) for extras. With Wizz I’ve been quoted two completely different prices for a package of extras within 5 minutes while pricing up flights.

      • apbj says:

        25 Jul25 July 21:06

        Agree, the opaque pricing for ancillary stuff is annoying (it’s even more complex if you’re in the subscribed discount scheme, which is often good value). But the biggest problem with Wizzair is that it never ever pays out EC261, even if a court has explicitly ruled against it. Thousands of customers have been screwed over in this way. In terms of business ethics, it makes Ryanair look like John Lewis.

        • Londonsteve says:

          26 Jul26 July 15:57

          Unfortunately, you are right. I consider a flight booked on Wizz as ‘fine if it flies vaguely on time’ but if not, assume you’re on your own and you’ll have to make your own arrangements. Sitting on a decent stash of Avios allowing me to make last minute bookings on BA for a fixed price I’m less exposed than most travellers left in the lurch. Only issue with this is that when flying Wizz you’re often a long way from the nearest airport served by BA so it might involve a day of ground travel to relocate, but that’s still better than waiting 6 days for the next available Wizz flight, or buying a hideously expensive last minute fare on another carrier and fighting with the airline for a refund.

• iam_niall says:

  26 Jul26 July 12:41

  Thanks Rob for the update about the new KLM flight to/from Belfast. As you say, day trips are now an option. I told my friends immediately and we are excited about organising something soon! I was hoping for timings on the new flight that would negate the long (8-9 hour) layover on inbound flights from Hong Kong and India. Sadly this is not the case and KLM remain off my list for these flights.

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