London Luton Airport has one terminal, about two miles from junction 10 of the M1. Most drivers come in that way, whichever direction they start from. Without a car, you have a choice of trains to Luton Airport Parkway, followed by the four-minute Luton DART shuttle, or coaches and buses that stop right outside the terminal. This page covers each route in detail. For drop-off charges, how early to arrive and which parking to choose, see our guide to flying from Luton.
The sat-nav postcode
London Luton Airport gives LU2 9QT as the postcode for the sat-nav. Once you are close, follow the signs to your car park or to the drop-off zone. If you have booked parking away from the airport, or a Meet & Greet handover, use the postcode in your booking confirmation instead, because it may not be at the terminal.
By road
From the M1, north or south
Leave the M1 at junction 10. The airport is signposted from here, and it is about two miles to the terminal.
- At the junction 10 roundabout, take the spur road towards Luton and the airport.
- At the Kidney Wood roundabout, join the A1081 and keep to the left lane.
- At the London Luton Airport roundabout, take the exit onto Airport Way.
- At the Passenger Terminal roundabout, follow the signs for your car park or the drop-off zone.
From the M25, the M40 and the west
Join the M1 northbound from the M25 at junction 21 or 21A, then follow the M1 directions above from junction 10. From the M40, join the M25 at junction 16 and go clockwise to the M1. From Dunstable, just follow the airport signs.
From the A1(M), Hitchin and the east
From Stevenage, Cambridge or anywhere on the A1(M), you do not need the M1 at all.
- Leave the A1(M) at junction 8 and take the A602 towards Hitchin.
- Join the A505, the dual carriageway through Hitchin towards Luton.
- At the Airport Way roundabout, turn onto Airport Way, then follow it to the London Luton Airport roundabout and the Passenger Terminal roundabout.
- Follow the signs for your car park or the drop-off zone.
Whichever way you come, the airport advises checking live traffic before you set off.
By train and the Luton DART
The nearest station is Luton Airport Parkway. From there, the Luton DART shuttle runs to the front of the terminal in about four minutes.
Luton Airport Express from St Pancras
- Run by East Midlands Railway, from the upper level of London St Pancras International.
- Non-stop to Luton Airport Parkway in 22 minutes, or as little as 32 minutes to the terminal including the DART.
- Every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, with a regular service on Sundays. On weekdays the first train from London is at 05:45. Sunday services start later, around midday, so check the timetable for a Sunday morning flight.
Thameslink through London and from the south
Thameslink trains run to Luton Airport Parkway from St Pancras, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Elephant & Castle, and from further south, including East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton. The airport lists up to eight Thameslink trains an hour from St Pancras, and some trains through the night from St Pancras and Blackfriars. They stop more often than the Express: allow around 40 to 50 minutes from Farringdon or London Bridge, plus the DART.
From the north
From Bedford, both Thameslink and the Luton Airport Express run direct, the fastest in about 14 minutes. East Midlands Railway and Thameslink also run direct from Wellingborough and Kettering, and the Luton Airport Express runs from Corby about every 30 minutes. From Leicester and Nottingham, East Midlands Railway gets you there with one change.
Tickets and the DART
- Buy your ticket to "Luton Airport", not Luton Airport Parkway. A ticket to Luton Airport includes the DART; a ticket to the Parkway does not.
- The DART runs 24 hours a day, up to every four minutes at peak times and every seven minutes off-peak. It does not run on 25 and 26 December.
- If you need a separate DART ticket, an adult single is £4.90, a child single (5 to 15) is £2.45 and under-5s travel free. You can tap in with a contactless card at the barriers, but Oyster cards are not accepted.
By coach from London
Coaches run between central London and the airport around the clock. They drop off and pick up at the airport bus station, directly outside the terminal entrance.
- National Express A1 and A31 to Victoria Coach Station, and the A2 to Paddington. All three call at Finchley Road, St John's Wood and Baker Street.
- Green Line 757 to Victoria, every 30 minutes during the day and hourly through the night, via Brent Cross, Finchley Road, Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner.
National Express runs about three coaches an hour in the day and one every 30 minutes overnight. Allow 60 to 90 minutes from central London, traffic permitting.
By coach from elsewhere in the UK
National Express runs direct coaches to Luton from Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Cambridge and Oxford, among others, and links to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. These coaches use bus bays N, P and Q.
By local bus
- Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis: Arriva A and Z busway services, 24 hours a day. The run from Luton Station Interchange takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
- Milton Keynes: Arriva X1, hourly Monday to Saturday, in just over an hour; the X2 and X3 go via Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable.
- Bedford: Stagecoach MK1, in under 85 minutes. Stevenage and Hitchin: Arriva 101. Aylesbury: Arriva X4.
Local buses use the stops outside the terminal entrance: most Arriva services bay J, the MK1 bay D and the 101 bay H.
Sorted before you fly.
