Luton Airport Drop-off Charges

Luton Airport Free Drop-off

Due to a recent fire incident at the airport, Luton Airport drop off arrangements are changing frequently. Please visit the following link for the latest information:

https://www.london-luton.co.uk/to-and-from-lla/want-to-drop-off-as-close-as-possible

You don’t have to pay to drop your friends and family off at Luton Airport. To take advantage of the free drop-off, you have two choices.

1.    Mid Stay car park

• up to 15 minutes free for pick-up and drop-off 
• 600m walk to the terminal entrance
• no return within four hours
• no height restrictions

2.    Long Stay car park

• up to one hour of free parking 
• 10-minute shuttle bus ride to the terminal
• shuttle bus departs approximately every 20 minutes
• accessible shuttle buses

To get to the Mid Stay car park use postcode LU2 9QT then follow the signs once you reach the airport. Blue Badge spaces can be found in bays C8, C10 and C12. 

If you stay longer than 15 minutes in the Mid Stay car park, the following charges will apply:

• 15 to 30 minutes: £4.00
• 30 to 45 minutes: £9.00
• 45 to 60 minutes: £13.50
• 1 to 24 hours: £35.00
• Each additional day or part thereof: £35.00

To get to the Long Stay car park use postcode LU2 9NW and once you arrive at the airport, just follow the signs. Blue Badge spaces can be found near Bus Stop 7. The shuttle buses are accessible for wheelchairs and category 2 scooters.

If you stay longer than one hour in the Long Stay car park, the following charges will apply:

• 1 to 2 hours: £5.00
• 1 day: £30.00
• Each additional day or part thereof: £30.00

Be aware that dropping off passengers in any unauthorised area of Luton Airport will incur a £95.00 enforcement charge. This applies to all approach roads, the roundabout and the bus lane, which are monitored by CCTV. The charge is reduced to £55.00 if paid within 14 days.

Drop-off zone

If you want to drop off your passengers as close as possible to check-in then you need to use the official drop-off zone, which is 350m from the terminal building. To get to the drop-off zone use postcode LU2 9QT, then follow the signs once you’ve arrived at the airport. The drop-off charges are as follows:

• Up to 10 minutes: £5.00
• Per minute thereafter: £1.00

Payment must be by card, as cash is not accepted, and vehicles must not be left unattended at any time. 

Blue Badge holders

Disabled parking is available in Lane A of the drop-off zone for vehicles staying less than 10 minutes and not left unattended. There are two help points, one in Lane A and the other near to the lifts. If you want to park up and leave your vehicle when dropping off your passengers, then the best option is Terminal Car Park 1, which is a four-minute walk from the terminal entrance. The Terminal 1 Car Park is free for up to 30 minutes for Blue Badge holders and has help points on levels 1 and 2.

EV discount

Electric vehicles (EVs) can use Terminal Car Park 1 and benefit from a reduced drop-off charge of £1.00 for up to 30 minutes. If you stay longer than 30 minutes, however, you pay normal charges and do not receive the discount for the first 30 minutes. The reduced fee of £1.00 for up to 30 minutes applies only to 100% electric vehicles, not to hybrids.

Terminal 1 Car Park

Just a four-minute walk across the bridge, Terminal 1 Car Park is the closest to the terminal building. Use postcode LU2 9DH and follow the signs once you reach the airport. Note there is a height restriction of 2.1m in this car park.

• Up to 30 minutes: £9.50
• 30 to 45 minutes: £12.50
• 45 to 60 minutes: £17.50
• 1 to 2 hours: £22.00
• 2 to 3 hours: £28.50
• 3 to 4 hours: £37.00
• 4 to 5 hours: £39.00
• 5 to 9 hours: £61.00
• 9 to 24 hours: £67.50
• Each additional day or part thereof: £67.50

Blue Badge holders

Blue Badge spaces are available on levels 0 and 1. Make sure you leave your Blue Badge and parking clock on display. If you keep your Blue Badge with you, you need to show it to the Priority Parking office on level 2. All parking tickets need to be validated at the Priority Parking office for you to receive the reduced Blue Badge parking fees as follows:

• Up to 30 minutes: free
• 30 minutes to 1 hour: £5.50
• 1 to 2 hours: £15.00
• 2 to 3 hours: £19.50
• 3 to 4 hours: £21.50
• 4 to 5 hours: £24.00
• 5 to 24 hours: £42.00
• Each additional day or part thereof: £45.00

EV discount and charging

Vehicles that are 100% electric also benefit from a reduced parking fee in Terminal Car Park 1, as follows: 

• Up to 30 minutes: £1.00
• 30 to 45 minutes: £12.50
• 45 to 60 minutes: £17.50
• 1 to 2 hours: £22.00
• 2 to 3 hours: £28.50
• 3 to 4 hours: £37.00
• 4 to 5 hours: £39.00
• 5 to 9 hours: £61.00
• 9 to 24 hours: £67.50
• Each additional day or part thereof: £67.50

Once at the car park, drive up to level 2 and look for the dedicated electric vehicle (EV) parking bays. Take your parking ticket to the Priority Parking office, which is also on level 2, to receive the reduced EV parking fee. If you stay longer than 30 minutes, however, you must pay the normal charges and won’t benefit from the £1.00 half hour. The reduced fee does not apply to hybrid vehicles.

EV charging points are available on level 2 of Terminal Car Park 1, near the Priority Parking bays. No apps or payment is required; simply plug in, start charging, then report to the Priority Parking office on level 2 and let them know you are charging your vehicle. The charging points include six Tesla chargers and four Type 2 chargers.

Picking up at Luton Airport

You can pick up passengers at any of the drop-off locations listed above. The Mid Stay car park is free for the first 15 minutes and the Long Stay car park is free for the first hour. Note that if you stay an hour in the Mid Stay car park the tariff will be £13.50, so it’s worth considering your options carefully, given that you may have to wait for your passengers to clear security and collect their baggage. 

The official £5.00 drop-off zone, which is the closest option to the terminal, may be used for picking up but again, this may not be cost-effective if you end up waiting more than 10 minutes, as the cost increases £1.00 a minute after that.

Blue Badge holders

Blue Badge holders are recommended to use Terminal Car Park 1 for picking up passengers. The Blue Badge parking bays are on levels 0 and 1 and the first 30 minutes are free of charge – just make sure you leave your Blue Badge and parking clock on display. If you need to keep a hold of your Blue Badge, or if you don’t have it with you, just go to the Priority Parking office on level 2, so they can make a note of your vehicle details to avoid it being towed away. 

Before exiting the car park you need to validate your parking ticket at the Priority Parking office to benefit from the free half hour and, if you stay longer, to benefit also from the discounted Blue Badge parking fees as listed above.

EV drivers

If your EV is 100% electric then you can take advantage of the reduced tariff in Terminal Car Park 1, which is just £1.00 for 30 minutes. However, if you stay longer than 30 minutes you don’t get the reduced rate.

Parking at Luton

If you prefer to drive your own car, there are several good-value options for parking at Luton Airport, if you book in advance. APH Drop and Go, for example, offers secure off-airport parking with transfers to the terminal on demand, while Airparks Short Run is just a four-minute transfer bus ride away.

Get an APH Luton parking quote here.

Getting to Luton Airport – by road

Located a couple of miles off the M1 motorway to the north of London, Luton Airport is easily reached from most places in the UK. The M1 exit to take is Junction 10, from where you can follow the signs to the airport. If you are travelling from the east or the A1, take the A505 through Hitchin, and follow the signs. The postcode for the airport is LU2 9QT.

If you are driving your own car to the airport, there are plenty of good value airport parking options to keep your vehicle secure while you are away. 

You can also take a coach to Luton Airport. From London, National Express services include the A1 from London Victoria via Paddington Station and Golders Green. They also run services from Oxford and Birmingham, as well as inter-airport transfers to/from Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick.

Alternatively, Green Line route 757 runs between London Victoria and Luton Airport every hour and travels via Marble Arch, Baker Street and Brent Cross Shopping Centre. From Milton Keynes, which is 25 miles away, you can take Stagecoach service 99, which goes via Luton Station and Luton town centre. 

The coach drop-off point at Luton Airport is right outside the terminal building.

Lots of local buses also stop right outside the terminal building. Local departure points include Luton town centre, Milton Keynes, Stevenage, Hitchin, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable. 

Visit Traveline for more bus information.

Getting to Luton Airport – by rail

The closest railway station to the airport is Luton Airport Parkway, from where you can take a shuttle bus to the terminal. The shuttle transfer takes approximately 10 minutes and buses run frequently every 10 minutes between 05:00 and midnight, with a through-the-night service for train connections. 

When buying your train ticket, if you select Luton Airport (LUA) as your destination, the shuttle bus fare will be included. Alternatively, you can pay the shuttle fare separately with a contactless card.

Luton Airport Parkway shuttle bus fares:

• Single fare: £2.40
• Standard open return fare: £3.80
• Children aged 5 to 15 years: half price
• Under 5 years: free of charge

There are regular train services from London, Gatwick and Brighton to the south of Luton Airport Parkway, and Bedford, Derby and Sheffield to the north.

Visit National rail enquiries or call 08457 48 49 50 for more information.

FAQs