 Poster: A snowHead
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10/04/2023
Luton Airport have stopped the shuttle buses from Luton Parkway Station and have suspended the Free Dropoff at the Mid Stay Car park.
If you want to get a speedy drop off for Luton Airport now probably the best way is to use the new DART shuttle. This runs from Luton Parkway Station very frequently.
The cost is a whopping £4.90 each way for mere mortals.
As I’m going to be using it at about 5am this Saturday to join the EoSB, I thought I would go over to Luton and “Scope it Out”
I was going to make a video but the weather was so bad I thought I’d leave that for the day.
What you need to know:
Where do you catch it going to the Airport?
At the moment the “drop off” car park is not finished and fenced off so if you can get your driver to drop you off at “Hampton by Hilton” hotel, or in the road Kimpton Rd, Luton LU2 0LA
Currently you are allowed to use the drop off for the Hotel for 15 minutes.
From there it's a pedestrian walkway of 140 metres to get into the DART station building.
There are a few steps or an extra 90 metres if you want to use a ramp.
Once inside the building there is an escalator and a lift to the DART platform level.
Ticketing:
Price
A single journey from Luton Parkway to Luton Airport costs £4.90
If you are coming to the station by rail you can buy an inclusive ticket.
If you are a bus pass holder you can obtain a ticket free of charge, but you have to set up a concession account (see the link below).
To enter the train platform there are automatic barriers similar to those at stations that read the QR code ticket.
These didn't seem to work very well, so it's a case of showing it to the barrier operator to get through.
The daftest thing is that you have to do the barrier rigamarole again when you get off at the other end.
At the airport end, the doors open on the same side as people want to climb aboard, so it's a bit of a challenge.
There was only one lift working which looked a bit small for the expected amount of traffic.
There is quite a long escalator, so it's not a safe place with all the oversize luggage impatient travelers are packing.
Then you have to show your QR code at the barrier again, same phaff as before.
You exit at street level you exit at 51.8787, -0.3743 (this is close to the multi storey car park entrance).
You’ll have to drag your bags another 140 metres along the tarmac to the Airport entrance.
Today it was raining hard and very windy, so not the best experience.
From Airport to Luton Parkway
Welcome to Luton.
There were still a couple of passengers waiting for the shuttle bus.
It's not clear to foreign strangers that the Shuttle Bus is no more. I know there are big signs saying to catch the DART, but they did not understand it.
You can purchase tickets a short distance to the left of the barriers, but I advise that you get them online and load them into your smartphone wallet app.
When you get off the DART shuttle you have to exit through the barriers again.
Then if you are catching a train you must go through another barrier to enter the rail system.
What if you need to park for longer at the drop off?
There is a multi storey car park at the station on the South West side of the station. There is a bridge and escalators or lifts, but it's not very handy.
To pay for the parking you need to use the APCO app. It was only £3.00 for us to park there for a whole day but I imagine that it's more expensive during commuting times.
Links:
The Dart Website
https://www.lutondart.com/
For bus pass holders 
https://www.lutondart.com/concessions/
If you need to park a car for more than a few minutes.
https://citycentre.apcoa.co.uk/en/carpark/location/luton-airport-parkway-station/3685
I don’t know what the facilities for parking will be when the project is finally finished.
Although it was not a great experience today, I do think it will be an improvement on the shuttle bus system. It's going to be a bit more walking, but it should be quicker.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Slightly tangential, but is Car hire still at the terminal or do need a bus to get to and from the rental car parks now too?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| DrLawn wrote: |
10/04/2023
Luton Airport have stopped the shuttle buses from Luton Parkway Station and have suspended the Free Dropoff at the Mid Stay Car park. |
Do you have a link to the latter being suspended? "Suspended" suggests temporarily?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi @Layne, that I do not know.
They seemed to have stopped the free shuttle from the mid stay during Covid.
You can still drop a passanger off at the mid stay but they have to walk the 600 metres up the hill 
https://www.london-luton.co.uk/to-and-from-lla/want-to-drop-off-for-free
I would not like to rely on the "Long Stay" shuttle bus car park at peak times.
So I started using the shuttle bus from Luton Parkway Station as it was much easier than getting somebody to drop me off at the Terminal.
It was also quite a short walk into or out of the terminal
I think that was £3 but free for me as a bus pass holder.
But now it is no more.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If you are an old f*rt like me you can get to Luton for free from Victoria using your bus pass using Green Line
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