Luton Airport: DART, drop-off charge, security and parking

London Luton Airport is 32 miles from central London by road and two miles from M1 junction 10. A 4-minute DART shuttle links the terminal with Luton Airport Parkway station, and trains from London St Pancras take as little as 32 minutes. Its free drop-off option is the Long Stay car park, free for up to 2 hours.

Everything below was read on the airport's own pages on 5 November 2026. Most of them show no update date, so check charges and times in the week you travel. Where two of the airport's pages give different figures, we name both pages and treat neither as settled.

Take a train to Luton Airport Parkway station, then the Luton DART: the airport says all rail passengers arriving there need to connect through this shuttle to reach the terminal. It is automated and electrically powered, and covers 2.3km in less than four minutes. The airport says it runs 24 hours a day: every 5 minutes at peak times (06:00 to 09:30 and 14:00 to 18:00), every 8 minutes off-peak and every 15 minutes from 22:00 to 04:00. Walking is a choice, but the airport says the distance is about a mile, with a steep hill, and takes around half an hour.

The airport's pages do not agree on what the headline fare covers. Its Luton Airport Express page says Advance tickets start at £10 one way and include the DART connection, as long as you choose "Luton Airport", not "Luton Airport Parkway", as your destination. Its central London trains page lists the same £10 Advance price as excluding the DART, and the DART page sells a separate adult single at £4.90. We cannot tell which is current, so check what your ticket includes before you pay.

The Express page also says its trains start at 05:33 on Saturdays and 12:14 on Sundays, while the central London trains page lists Thameslink as running through the night.

From the Midlands and the North, the airport describes a different mix of trains, set out below. The fares are the "from" prices the airport prints.

For how rail links compare across the other airports, see our guide to UK airports.

National Express and Green Line coaches run to central London, local buses reach towns as far as Milton Keynes and Bedford, black cabs wait at a rank outside, and the M1 is two miles away. The airport says coaches take as little as 50 minutes from central London, and gives 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic.

For drivers, the airport gives these road distances: Bedford 22 miles, Milton Keynes 25 miles, North London 30 miles, Central London 32 miles, Cambridge 35 miles, Oxford 50 miles and Birmingham 90 miles. From Luton Station Interchange, the airport says every local bus takes around 10 to 15 minutes. Its page on the X1 from Milton Keynes says just over an hour.

Coaches also link the airport with the other London airports. The airport gives fastest National Express journey times of 50 minutes to Heathrow, 1 hour 35 minutes to Stansted and 2 hours 10 minutes to Gatwick, all leaving from outside the terminal front. By train, it says Gatwick is a direct Thameslink journey of approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, plus the DART.

The airport's drop-off page says £9 for up to 12 minutes in its Drop Off and Pick Up Zone, then £1 per minute, but its taxi page says £7 for 10 minutes. The two pages disagree, so read the charge on the airport's pay page before you set off.

The zone is a 5-minute walk from the terminal, and the taxi page puts it 260m away, mostly flat, through a tunnel under the road. The maximum stay is 30 minutes. It is cashless and barrier-free: the airport records your number plate on entry, and you pay online by midnight the following day. Use postcode LU2 9QT and, on approach to the roundabout before the tunnel, disregard your satellite navigation and follow the signs for the zone.

Stay past 30 minutes and the drop-off page says you pay an enforcement charge of £95, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days, enforced by mobile CCTV cameras. It also says not to leave your vehicle unattended: an unattended vehicle will be towed away and fined.

A taxi bringing you to the airport is likely to use the zone, and the taxi page says the driver is likely to add its charge to your fare, so ask your taxi company beforehand. The driver can instead drop you in the Long Stay car park, where the taxi has two hours to leave before being charged.

For pick-ups, the airport's page repeats the zone's charge and says that if you need longer than 30 minutes you can use the Long Stay car park, with the return shuttle from Bus Bay B. Pre-booked taxis wait in the Pick Up Zone.

Pack everything in your bag, put the bag in a tray and go through: the airport's security page calls it Bag. Tray. Go., and says its CT scanners check liquids and large electronics inside your bag. The liquid limits page says every liquid container must be under 100ml or 100g, kept inside your bag, and that a plastic bag is no longer required.

Once through, you can refill an empty water bottle at a fountain, but the airport says hot drinks may not be taken on board. The medical information page asks you to bring a repeat prescription or a signed letter from your GP, and says that opting out of the scanner for non-medical reasons means an enhanced search in private, which is likely to add time. Pushchairs can go through security, but the airport says you will be asked to remove your children for a few minutes while the chair is screened.

For how the 100ml limit compares with airports that allow 2 litres, read our guide to liquids in hand luggage at UK airports.

Yes, in two ways: Prebook Security is free, and Fast Track Security is paid. Both are run by the airport. Prebook Security is described as a way to skip the queues, and Fast Track as a faster route between Departures and security.

The airport's Prebook Security page says it reserves a 30-minute window, that it is currently only available for those arriving between 3 AM and 3 PM, and that you can book from 4 days before until 60 minutes before you arrive at security, subject to availability. No login is needed. It runs first come, first served, and the airport says it cannot guarantee how long the security checks take. If you are late, arriving 15 minutes before or after your booking time keeps the QR code valid, and children aged 4 and under do not count in the party size.

The airport's Fast Track page says tickets start from £4 when bought online more than 24 hours before your flight and from £8 at the airport kiosks. The service runs between 04:15 and 20:00, children under two go free, and tickets can be cancelled or amended up to 24 hours before arrival.

At your airline's bag drop desk in the Check-in area, and the airport says to check the information screens to find the right desk for your flight. If you have checked in online and have a hold bag, that is where you go; with hand luggage only, the airport says to head straight to Departures.

Oversized items go to the Outsized Luggage Desk, and the airport says there are charges for bags that exceed your airline's allowance. For flights before 9am, it lists Jet2's Twilight Check-in and easyJet's and Wizz Air's Twilight Bag Drop, which let you check in and drop luggage the night before; it tells you to check with your airline.

The airport's taxi page says to arrange your journey so you arrive 2 to 3 hours before departure, to leave time for check-in and security. Its connecting-flight page says your airline will recommend check-in or bag drop two hours before your next flight. The airport pages we read give no airline desk opening times, so those come from your airline.

There are no lockers: the airport says it is too Security Smart to have them and points to Luggage Point, which it says can store a bag 24/7. Luggage trolleys are supplied by Wanzl.

The airport's parking page calls Priority Parking the closest, a 3-minute walk, on Level 2 of Terminal Car Park 1. The table gives the distance and the main facts of each option the airport lists.

Priority Parking is the only option where you drop your keys; in the others you keep them. The airport says spaces are not allocated when you pre-book, so you choose one on arrival, and that if your booked car park is full you get a free upgrade or are asked to use a cheaper one with the difference refunded. The minimum pre-bookable duration is 24 hours. If you have not booked, the airport says charges are shown at the car park entrance: take a ticket on the way in and pay at a pay station on your return.

We do not sell or rank parking and quote no parking prices: read them on the airport's page for your dates. For how to choose between on-site and off-site options in general, see our guide to airport parking in the UK.

The Car Hire Centre is on President Way, and a free shuttle bus leaves from Bay C at the terminal bus station. The airport lists Alamo, National, Enterprise, Avis, Budget and Europcar there, each with its own opening hours. It also reminds holders of a GB photo-card driving licence that the DVLA abolished the paper counterpart in 2015, and asks you to check your hire company's requirements.

Besides shops, the airport describes lounges, two prayer rooms, free Wi-Fi, a lost property unit and nearby hotels. The table sets out each one, with the hours the airport gives.

If you leave something on board, the airport says your airline's handling agent is who to contact. If you think you have been the victim of theft, it says to ask a member of staff to contact the airport police, or to report it to Bedfordshire Police online or on 101 once you have left. There is a fee to reclaim a lost item.

For help getting around, the airport says to tell your airline when you book, or at least 48 hours before departure, and its assisted travel team will be waiting. On 5 November 2026 that page said the lift leading to Gates 20 to 28 was out of service for refurbishment, and pointed to the nearby Help Point.

You go through Passport Control, where the airport says an ePassport holder can use the eGates once they have checked they are eligible, then collect your bags and pass through UK Customs before the public Arrivals area.

The airport describes itself as a point-to-point airport with no transit facilities for international passengers. Connecting passengers go through immigration, walk through to Departures and go through a security check for the next flight, and the airport says to allow for the two hours your airline will recommend at check-in or bag drop.

To reach a parked car, the airport gives these routes. Terminal Car Park 1 is a 4-minute walk: take the lift to Level 2 and go through the tunnel over the dual carriageway. Terminal Car Park 2 is 5 minutes, passing the DART station on your left, and the Pick Up Zone is on its ground floor. For Mid Stay, turn right out of the terminal and head to the end of the buses. For Long Stay, the airport's car and Long Stay pages send you to Bus Bay B, while its Blue Badge page says bay A on arrival, so follow the signs.

Each line below points back to a section above and to the airport's own page. Our baggage rules guide and travel tips for UK travellers go through the rest of the trip.

• Your train ticket
  Check whether it ends at "Luton Airport" or "Luton Airport Parkway": the airport's pages disagree on whether the £10 fare includes the DART.
• Your drop-off
  The airport's pages give £9 for 12 minutes and £7 for 10 minutes; its free option is the Long Stay car park for up to 2 hours.
• Your bag
  Liquid containers under 100ml or 100g, kept inside your bag, and no squishy gel toys.
• Your queue
  Prebook Security is free and Fast Track is paid; read the airport's pages for the slots.
• Your car park
  Priority Parking is the only option where you drop your keys, and the two multi-storeys have a 2.1m height limit.
• Your return
  These are Luton's rules; the airport you leave from abroad has its own, which we have not read.

• How far is Luton Airport from London?

  The airport gives 32 miles from central London by road. By train, it says journeys from London St Pancras take as little as 32 minutes to the terminal, including the DART.

• How long does the Luton DART take?

  The airport says it takes less than four minutes between Luton Airport Parkway station and the terminal, and that it runs 24 hours a day, every 5 minutes at peak times.

• How much is the drop-off charge at Luton Airport?

  The airport’s drop-off, pick-up and parking pages say £9 for up to 12 minutes, then £1 per minute, with a 30-minute maximum. Its taxi page says £7 for 10 minutes. Check the pay page before you go.

• Is there free drop-off at Luton?

  Yes. The Long Stay car park is free for up to 2 hours, and a free shuttle bus runs to the terminal in around 10 minutes, every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day.

• What happens if I stay over 30 minutes in the drop-off zone?

  The airport says an enforcement charge of £95 applies, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days, and that mobile CCTV cameras enforce the limit.

• Can I take liquids through Luton Airport security?

  Yes, in containers under 100ml or 100g each. The airport says to keep them inside your bag for screening and that a plastic bag is no longer required.

• Can I skip the queue at Luton security?

  The airport offers Prebook Security, which is free, and Fast Track, with tickets from £4 online more than 24 hours ahead or from £8 at its kiosks.

• Where is the taxi rank at Luton?

  The airport says the Hackney Carriage rank is just beyond Bus Bay A. Fares are metered and no booking is needed.

• Does Luton have luggage lockers?

  No. The airport says it has no lockers and points to Luggage Point, which it says can store a bag 24/7.

• Where is lost property at Luton?

  Items lost around the airport are managed by Excess Baggage, whose unit in the Check-in area is open daily 04:00 to 22:00. Reports are logged at lostproperty.org.