Surface Access

Getting there is quite a challenge at Luton because the Airport is so tightly integrated with the Town and it, therefore, competes for transport capacity with residents.

The main London to the East Midlands rail line runs close by but it is a major commuter route to London. Air passengers must use a shuttle bus to reach the Airport and the route is very steep, not good in wintry weather. The shuttle was free but is now run commercially.

The main trunk route, the M1 motorway, is heavily used and the roads to east and west run through the Chiltern hills and so are very difficult to build and widen. Car parking on the Airport is very expensive - in a survey of 7 UK airports in 2006, it was second only to Heathrow. The off-airport car park at Slip End is cheaper but a slow 5-mile bus transfer from the terminals.

It is a shame, therefore, that the Airport management seems not to take seriously Government policy to encourage passengers to travel to the Airport by public transport. Its draft Airport Surface Access Strategy (ASAS), which was subject to public consultation early in 2009, was lamentably weak in its analysis and aims as we showed in our more thorough response to the consultation.

The new access road to the Airport under construction. This used the route intended for a dedicated public transport link between the terminals and the Parkway Station.

Luton & District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise - site updated 11 August, 2010