Luton Airport, why do we tolerate being treated like.....

[stevensfo]

I pass through quite a few airports but none of them comes close to Luton in making me so tense and miserable.

Okay, security is a bit better these days and they no longer take empty bottles off you or call the riot squad if you dare make eye contact or dare say a word, but that waiting area afterwards...!

A large rectangular shaped area with hundreds of humans crammed uncomfortably inside, while surrounded by shops that know the customers will come and spend money just to boost their pitifully low endorphin and serotonin levels to slightly above suicidal level. Hundreds of craning necks anxiously waiting for the gate number to appear so they can dash along the corridor hoping to arrive before the queue backs up the narrow staircase, making it almost impossible for a late 'speedy boarding' customer to pass by.

Is there anywhere quite as bad as Luton airport?


Steve

[Ashfordian]

Is there anywhere quite as bad as Luton airport?

Of all the airports I've used in the south-east, No!

From the queues to get into the airport until you have boarded the plane. It is a cattle-shed and they do little to hide that!

The only positive is that it is not that busy so there are few queues of planes to take-off/land.

[GrandOiseau]

What is the alternative?

[Lootman]

What is the alternative?

There are actually seven London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton, London Southend and London Oxford.

There is also Birmingham, East Midlands and Southampton within 100 miles or so of London.

I'd pick any of them over Luton.

[didds]

late 80s and early 90s I spent about 4 years backpacking, and for a while also living and working in Germany, with various trips back to the UK, and also to USA and Australia in that period. I was in and out of airports continually and flying.

At that time I came to the conclusion cirlines and airports ave seemingly carte blanche over their operations and as a consumer its a case of take it or leave it, and put up with whatever. The most extreme scenarios being being abole to cancel flights ad hoc leaving pasengers strabnded with no recourse to any help at times.

air travel is hardly better than cattle transportation to an abbatoir. At least you have to provide water for animals being moved .

didds

[GrandOiseau]

What is the alternative?

There are actually seven London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton, London Southend and London Oxford.

There is also Birmingham, East Midlands and Southampton within 100 miles or so of London.

I'd pick any of them over Luton.

But clearly others, including the OP, don't.

Which suggests either it's not as bad the OP make outs. Or that the alternatives are not viable.

[Lootman]

What is the alternative?

There are actually seven London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton, London Southend and London Oxford.

There is also Birmingham, East Midlands and Southampton within 100 miles or so of London.

I'd pick any of them over Luton.

But clearly others, including the OP, don't.

Which suggests either it's not as bad the OP make outs. Or that the alternatives are not viable.

To be honest I only ever used Luton once, 30 years ago, and it was awful. I vowed never to use it again and have not.

In the last decade I've only used Heathrow, Gatwick and City.

[scrumpyjack]

I use Luton quite often, most recently last week. The redevelopment of it has been horrendously mismanaged, particularly access road works which last year resulted in me taking over an hour to get the last mile to the dropzone. Last week I saw that in spite of the roads being substantially completed there was still a massive queue to drop people off ion the drop zone (for which you still have to pay).

They have built a large multistory carpark near the terminal, but have so designed it that you have to push your case UPHILL to get to the terminal - ludicrous.

Then in the terminal everything is designed to make passengers walk as far as possible so they walk past all the retail outlets (sadly all airports do this now)

Finally there are no moving walkways so it can be quite a hike to reach your departure gate.

All in all it has to be the worst designed and managed airport in the UK.

I try to use Stansted when I can but it depends which flights suit.

[UncleIan]

I quite like Southampton. Compact. Once you're through security you're sat with a view of most of the gates from your seat, and all the normal boring shops are close at hand.

[didds]

of all those alterantives as "london" airoport, as somebody mentioned they aren;t necessarily alternatives - for starters they don;t all fly to all destinations./.. so the option maybe for the specific destination required the option may be Luton or (say) Stanstead. Now - if you live somewhere like Cambridge that may be an alternative. If you live in Swindon (say) its not really as its another 40 minutes drive each way for starters.

didds

[TUK020]

I quite like Southampton. Compact. Once you're through security you're sat with a view of most of the gates from your seat, and all the normal boring shops are close at hand.

Southampton gets my vote.
Late flight back from Manchester:
When the seat-belt lights went off with the plane coming to a standstill, I timed it. 4 and a half minutes later I was driving off through the car park exit barrier. Mind you, I then got stuck behind a tractor for a couple of minutes until the M27.....

Fastest I have ever escaped H'row has got to be close to an hour. God, I hate that place with a vengeance. OK, it beats Caracas or Mumbai. But lower on the list than places like Nairobi or Jakarta. And much, much lower than first world airports like Singapore, HK or Beijing.
I have wasted far too much of my life at Heathrow.

[bungeejumper]

[

At that time I came to the conclusion cirlines and airports ave seemingly carte blanche over their operations and as a consumer its a case of take it or leave it, and put up with whatever. The most extreme scenarios being being abole to cancel flights ad hoc leaving pasengers strabnded with no recourse to any help at times.

air travel is hardly better than cattle transportation to an abbatoir. At least you have to provide water for animals being moved

My plane from Berlin was once diverted to lovely Luton because of bad weather at Heathrow. Landing at 2 am, we were greeted by UK customs officials hurriedly pulling on their uniforms (with their shirt tails all hanging out) because they'd all clocked off for the night to watch the telly and have a few beers. Fastest customs clearance in history.

Not Luton but Stansted. But if the crap fits, you still have to wear it.

Fascinating Aida, of course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVASZ2lCY5Y

BJ

[BobbyD]

What is the alternative?

There are actually seven London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton, London Southend and London Oxford.

There is also Birmingham, East Midlands and Southampton within 100 miles or so of London.

I'd pick any of them over Luton.

Not London or SE but Bristol Airport is only just over 100 miles outside central london...

Used to use it when you could still fly to Europe for £2.40 each way, even if it did mean catching a 12.30am train to get there.

You can throw in Bournemouth as well...

[didds]

Bristol airport... well... great if you live in Taunton or Lands End. Useless if you live in, say, Corsham!

didds

[UncleEbenezer]

Bristol airport... well... great if you live in Taunton or Lands End. Useless if you live in, say, Corsham!

didds

Looking from here, Bristol is nearly London. But the airport is less unpleasant. Or at least was when I last used it: the number of available destinations is limited.

Heathrow is the biggest horror. I can cope with arriving there, but departing - and having to wait around for long periods without even anywhere to sit down - means I'd take any alternative I could get.

I *think* the last time I suffered in was travelling to Montreal on business in the depths of winter. Having checked luggage in, the inside was so horrific I went to wait around outside. Nowhere to sit down, so I just wandered around miserably until boarding-time.

[didds]

... having to wait around for long periods without even anywhere to sit down .... I went to wait around outside. Nowhere to sit down, so I just wandered around miserably until boarding-time.

it has to be deliberate, presumably to "make" people wander in an out of shops and cafes and restaurants and bars spending £££

didds

[Watis]

... having to wait around for long periods without even anywhere to sit down .... I went to wait around outside. Nowhere to sit down, so I just wandered around miserably until boarding-time.

it has to be deliberate, presumably to "make" people wander in an out of shops and cafes and restaurants and bars spending £££

didds

I wonder at the airport luggage shops.

I mean, how did travellers get their stuff to the airport if they need to buy a suitcase when they get there!

Watis

[robbelg]

I wonder at the airport luggage shops.

I mean, how did travellers get their stuff to the airport if they need to buy a suitcase when they get there!

Watis

It's for the stuff you buy in all the other shops.


Rob

[dspp]

Bristol airport... well... great if you live in Taunton or Lands End. Useless if you live in, say, Corsham!

didds

Looking from here, Bristol is nearly London. But the airport is less unpleasant. Or at least was when I last used it: the number of available destinations is limited.

Heathrow is the biggest horror. I can cope with arriving there, but departing - and having to wait around for long periods without even anywhere to sit down - means I'd take any alternative I could get.

I *think* the last time I suffered in was travelling to Montreal on business in the depths of winter. Having checked luggage in, the inside was so horrific I went to wait around outside. Nowhere to sit down, so I just wandered around miserably until boarding-time.

I use Bristol a lot, and I mean a lot. Maybe 70 flights per year. I also use LHR and LGW a fair bit, and SOU occasionally, as well as many more around the world so I get to compare with many others. Frankly BRS sucks bad. Especially security. The security staff at BRS have a special dumb insolence gene injection & full frontal to be allowed to work there. Never ever have I found so many bone idle customer service rejects still employed year in year out. It is as if they took the jobcentre dregs and locked them all up in the airport. They will happily sit at the screen and send cases through even when the entire machine has crashed with a memory overload, then ignore the pileup for maybe 10 minutes, then send it through again BEFORE rebooting it, then again. They will try and ban blades under 2" length. They will insist on liquids being repacked into their plastic bags. They will always have all belts off and all shoes off if they think it is a boot (stupids) even if shankless despite having body scanners. They will never open additional bag scanners. They will happily direct you through security boarding pass scanners they know are broken, wait until you've been rejected a few times, then ask for your ID before opening manually, having stood there just to do that. I have on a number of occasions found the security queue down the escalator, the full length of the hall, and out into the rain. I really can't think why the customer feedback machines are always broken, perhaps the only adqual the staff have is in feedback machine sabotage. That's before I get on to any of the many other things that are pretty awful about BRS and believe me there are lots. A shame, as it could be a good airport, if given a very special kick up the pants.

ugh, BRS

dspp

ps. It is worse than Luton, and I agree that Luton is pretty poor.

[UncleEbenezer]

... having to wait around for long periods without even anywhere to sit down .... I went to wait around outside. Nowhere to sit down, so I just wandered around miserably until boarding-time.

it has to be deliberate, presumably to "make" people wander in an out of shops and cafes and restaurants and bars spending £££

Frankly I doubt it. Those terminals were just as miserable when I was a lad, before modern in-yer-face consumerism got pushed on us. When the Greasy Spoon was a rare treat, and anything more than that was How The Other Half Live.

And if I didn't spend money at some point - e.g. a coffee and croissant - it'll only be because the whole thing was too unpleasant.