London Luton Airport: The One Terminal – A Complete Guide

With the second busiest airport in the UK, London Luton Airport (LTN), how many terminals does the airport possess and how can you maximize your visits. Unlike other bigger airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, which have several terminals, Luton Airport has only one terminal. While it retains several services for millions of travelers, this basically provides a much more simple concept for an airport as there’s only one single terminal which is easy to get around for travelers due to the large volume of services integrated within the airport.

This article aims to highlight some of the features and facilities that make this single terminal so efficient, effective and any other useful information related to the services offered including the essential tips for travelers shifting through this busy airport during their travels.

Recap of London Luton Airport

With Luton Airport situated 35 miles (over 56 kilometers) north of Central London, Over the last 10 years or so, Luton Airport managed to keep a very steady growth in traffic of around 18 million passengers year in and year out, making it one of the busiest airports in the UK. Also a primary focus for many of the low-cost airlines for both international routes and within the United Kingdom.

Luton ti Airport is a small airport that was opened in Luton in 1938. The airport went through several stages of expansion and reconstruction to keep up with the growing number of users. Today , 70 years later, Luton is the 5th busiest of London’s major airports and has only 1 terminal. Due to the size of the airport, Luton does not have a need to expand its operations and constrain itself with multiple boarding buildings.

What Is The Reason For Luton Airport Having A Single Terminal:

To cater to its scale and purpose, Luton contains and operates a single terminal. Luton serves residents in London up to a 2 hours distance and most of its passengers rely on low-cost carriers. With more international airports such as Gatwick and London Heathrow, most travelers use these major airports than Luton making the target passenger volume less.

In relation to airports such as Heathrow (with five terminals) or Gatwick (with two terminals), Luton airport only has one terminal and therefore makes the movement of people as well as the functioning of the airport relatively easier. Given that the dominant airlines operating out of luton are low-cost carriers, the emphasis is efficiency and practicality over scale and opulence when designing the terminal. The objective should be to cater to clients who are willing to pay for low cost, and therefore, provide all the essential facilities in a consolidated form.

The Principal Characteristics of the Single Liston’s Terminal

It is true that there is only a single terminal but amongst others, Luton Airport has the capacity to receive a good number of passengers as well as modern services. A sequential view of the processes which the travelers are expected to undergo during the processes and procedures in Luton’s single terminal is as follows:

1. Check-in And Boarding Areas

The central location of the check-in area within the terminal enables passengers to get it easily. There are a good number of self-check-in kiosks so you just skip the brawls and long queues at the traditional check-in counters. For the majority of the low cost airlines (easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI) who offer online check in, a user is able to print the boarding pass or access it via a mobile device.

After the check-in and lugging off the baggage, the next step is moving through security and walking toward the boarding gates. It’s moderate in terms of ease because Luton’s terminal does not have any inefficiencies and the pathways are well indicated.

Because of the high volume of traffic at Luton Airport, both domestic and international, border control is located in several areas of the terminal and so passengers are advised to check the boards regularly for the information about their gate number and screenshot status. A new feature for British residents is automated border control which exists only to UK citizens and definitely makes the whole process quicker.

2. Security and Passport Control

Violations of security protocols are out of the question at any airport and Luton is well equipped on this front. Over busy hours, there may be instances of longer queue wait times, causing passengers to reach the airport at least 2-3 hours early of their flight time for check in, backstage formalities and immigration procedures (in case of international flights).

Given that Luton is mostly catered to European and regional short haul flights, International routes are passport controlled with good efficiency as there are non-Schengen and Schengen steerages. British passport holders also have e gates for passports which allow much speedier processing during immigration control.

3. Retail and Duty-Free Shopping

Once security has been crossed, the next point will be the departure lounge and a few shops. Luton is considered a smaller airport, but as all other international airports, it includes a variety of duty free shops, medicines, perfume, cosmetics, electronics and alcoholic beverages: all in the airside. For international travelers, it is interesting because they can shop without tax, and makes Luton very convenient and attractive.

In addition, passengers can shop online with major high street chains, telecommunications and travel essentials stores. If you have no time to shop in a terminal, but need to buy some presents, mementos, or first-aid items like magazines, food, or beauty products, you will have plenty of opportunity in the later segment of the building.

4. Food and Dining

Luton offers flight passengers not only light snacks, but also meals in a good number of restaurants. If you want to grab a quick coffee before flying or would rather have a sit-down meal, several cafés, bars and restaurants operating in Luton cater to different tastes. The likes of McDonald’s and Pret a Manger offer customers quick service for busy people. If you are planning to have a more heavy meal, you can also dine at restaurants that offer a wide variety of British and non-British dishes.

You will also find some pubs and bars where you can take a drink and watch the world go by before catching your flight.

5. Airport Lounges

Luton Airport has a number of airport lounges including Business Class lounges which of course allow you to avoid the rush at the main terminal, where passengers can relax in comfortable chairs and enjoy free food, soda, Wi-Fi and other facilities. Passengers, whether business class or economy class, can also access other facilities for a charge, so they are worth the price.

6. Transportation to and from the Airport

There is only one terminal at Luton Airport but you will not lack transportation to and from the airport. It is well served by buses and trains. Luton Airport Parkway Railway Station is located just a little distance from the terminal and it is easy to reach it by means of shuttle buses. The station links with London St Pancras International and other key destinations.

If you are driving to the airport, there are different modes of parking associated with the airport such as short-term parking, long-term parking as well as valet parking. Taxis and Uber also easily access the terminal making the commute between the airport and your intended destination effortless.

Essential Tips for Flying from Luton Airport

It has been mentioned earlier that Luton is not a very large airport. However, waiting time should be anticipated because it also uses only one term; It will remain busy as always. As a result, it would be prudent to consider some fundamental suggestions in order to avoid any needless stress when utilizing Luton airport:

Be there ahead of time: Always make sure to arrive 2-3 hours prior to your actual flight as you may have to get through check-in, security, and other formalities.

Be on the look out: If the flight is not cancelled then use the monitoring system to find out whether a new gate number or boarding time has been allocated to the flight.

Make way for security clearance: However, there is something that is common among all airports and that is antisocial measures. As much as possible, comply with the liquid restriction and do not forget to show your boarding pass and ID to the authorities upon request.

Use the online check in feature: There is nothing wrong in using the self-service check-in option that’s available on most airline websites or company websites within 24 hours of departure. Doing so helps save time spent in long queues at the airport.