Arriving at Luton Airport, what to expect

With budget carriers including easyJet, Monarch, Ryanair and Thomson.fly adding flights to and from Luton all the time, London’s fourth largest airport has become a popular gateway for those undertaking low-cost weekend breaks. The airport now connects to more than 80 destinations such as beautiful Krakow in southern Poland and exotic Fez in Morocco, with flights going as far as the US.

With 15 per cent more passengers each year, the airport is one of the fastest growing in Europe and hopes to undergo even more ambitious progression, with plans to build a new runway and south terminal ahead of the London Olympics in 2012 already underway.

Although smaller than Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted international airports, Luton Airport features a full range of terminal facilities including an executive lounge available to all customers at hourly rates. The Departures area in the Main Terminal offers a good range of shops, from electronics giant Dixons to Accessorize for those last-minute fashion knick-knacks.

Hungry Luton passengers are offered a range of high-street cafés and restaurants to choose such as Costa, Burger King and Pret a Manger. The arrivals gate even has its own supermarket, Marks and Spencer, allowing passengers to get any urgent shopping done immediately before setting off in a hire car or private vehicle.

There are no hotels within the confines of Luton Airport itself, but a large number are located within just a few miles and are easily accessible by hire car.

Disabled passengers are also well catered for at London Luton Airport, with amenities including specially adapted toilets and telephones as well as ramps and lifts providing access to all areas.

Luton is very well-placed for travel to the centre of London, courtesy of excellent road links. From the airport, it takes less than 30 minutes to get to the centre of the city. For passengers that decide to hire a car or have their own vehicle, it’s a 32-mile journey into the heart of London. Oxford is 50 miles away and Birmingham 90 miles.

Parking options at Luton are good, with all parking services operated by NCP. Parking facilities can be booked online prior to arrival at the airport, and this is the best way to guarantee the lowest parking rates. Choose from short-term, mid-term and long-term choices.

Driving into London from the airport, head to the M1 motorway, which lies just two miles from the entranceway, and follow signposts for London. It’s a short 40-minute drive into the centre from the airport and it takes less than half this time to reach the M25, the main London circular motorway. Recent road works around the airport and busy periods, particularly rush hours, mean that the journey can take as long as 1 hour into the city, however.