London Luton is one of the UK's busiest short-haul leisure airports and the original home base for easyJet. It sits on a hillside above the town of Luton in Bedfordshire and operates from a single, recently-expanded terminal handling around 18 million passengers a year.

The route map is short-haul Europe-heavy with a small selection of long-thin routes (Tel Aviv, Dakar, Kuwait), and the carrier mix is led by easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair and TUI. Luton is busy from before dawn, with first flights routinely scheduled before 6am.

The airport's compact footprint makes parking a particular focus. On-airport supply is constrained by terrain, which has driven a thriving off-airport market in Slip End, Caddington, and along the A1081 and Sundon Road.

Getting to LTN

All the practical access info — by car, train, coach and otherwise.

By road

Leave the M1 at junction 10 and follow the A1081 dual-carriageway directly to the airport. The approach road bypasses Luton town, cutting 5–10 minutes from the journey for traffic from London or the Midlands.

By rail

Luton Airport Parkway is on the Thameslink network — frequent direct trains from St Pancras (around 30 minutes) and East Midlands services to/from Bedford, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham. The DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit) cable car-style people-mover links Parkway with the terminal in around 4 minutes.

By bus / coach

National Express, Green Line and easyBus all run regular coaches to/from London Victoria and Liverpool Street. National Express Dot2Dot and onward routes serve Heathrow, Gatwick and the Midlands.

The parking landscape

How parking works at London Luton

Official car parks at Luton are graded Short Stay (next to the terminal), Mid Stay (a 5-minute walk) and Long Stay (a 5-minute shuttle). All three are operated by the airport itself.

Off-airport operators cluster south of the airport along the A1081 and west around Slip End. Many run 24/7 shuttles with intervals of 7–15 minutes. Meet-and-greet operators tend to be a touch cheaper at Luton than at the larger London airports because the drive from drop-off to compound is shorter.

Pro tips

Tips travellers wish they'd known

Mid Stay is the sweet spot for 2–4 day trips — within walking distance and substantially cheaper than Short Stay.
Off-airport compounds south of the M1 (Caddington, Slip End) usually beat operators along Sundon Road on shuttle times.
DART runs every 4 minutes during the day but drops to every 7–10 minutes overnight; check service hours if you land after midnight.
Drop-offs at Luton's forecourt cost £5 — the free drop-off is at the Mid Stay car park.
Avoid school-holiday Sundays for the steepest pricing — Wizz Air and Ryanair leisure routes peak heavily.

Frequently asked

LTN questions, answered

The questions our 24/7 team gets asked most about flying from London Luton.

How does the DART work?+

It's an automated people-mover that runs between Luton Airport Parkway station and the terminal. Journey time is 4 minutes; tickets are sold at a flat rate per direction. Fares are now bundled into many through-tickets from London.

Is Luton or Stansted easier to reach from London?+

Luton has more frequent rail (Thameslink runs every few minutes), but Stansted has the dedicated express. By time, they're roughly comparable from central London.

Is meet-and-greet allowed at Luton?+

Yes — meet-and-greet drop-off is at the Mid Stay car park, with operators meeting you there. The terminal forecourt is restricted to short stops and incurs a fee.

Can I leave my car for two weeks at Luton?+

Yes — long-stay options (both official and independent) accept bookings of up to 12 months. Independents are typically cheapest beyond 7 days.

How early do flights start from Luton?+

First flights routinely depart before 6am. Plan to arrive at the airport by 4am for the first wave; security often opens at 3:30am.

Is the airport accessible if I have reduced mobility?+

Yes — DART has step-free access and the terminal has assisted-travel desks at all entrances. Notify your airline 48 hours ahead.