London Luton Airport - www.london-luton.co.uk

Disgusting over 2 hour wait at passport control on way into Luton last night. We arrived at 23.39 and didn’t get to our luggage until 2.12.

Our nine month old was so tired and didn’t have her pram which was waiting slumped in a corner of the baggage claim the other side so between me and my husband we had to carry her. Our two five year olds were utterly exhausted. The airports pathetic excuse for prams to use were only suitable for a year +.

No clear signs about where to queue for UK passport with children. When we got to the Epassport we was then told that families with children under 10 were not allowed to use it. So we were asked to wait with around 45 other families whilst they figured out what to do. They then had us join a queue with the others that lasted over 2 hours as passport control staff just left without anyone taking over. Border control said they haven’t a clue what was going on and why they were upping and leaving. They also said a flight earlier in the day caused the delay but wouldn’t go into detail. The Luton staff were unapologetic and actually the person who we had, we saw come in and laugh before walking away and coming back ten minutes later to assist. Absolutely dreadful service. If you know passport security is going to be so bad, let families have their damn prams!! Will not be happy if the car park charges us for an extra day after going over our allotted time due to the airports rubbish management!!

Going through fast track yesterday was ridiculous. I had a boarding pass with Fast track written on it yet one of the so called staff members oreven "A manager" was having difficulty identifying the difference between fast track and priority boarding. He was claiming that because I didn't have priority boarding I couldn't go through fast track. So I had to go back to check in desk and get ANOTHER BOARDING PASS with SPEEDY BOARDING highlited on it so he could understand properly? What a complete bozo! I think some training for the staff would definitely be beneficial as they seem completely clueless on the rules and regulations and difference between PRIORITY BOARDING and FAST TRACK but ego driven neanderthals should not be working there. This man was a complete waste of space and customer time.

What a shambles going through security (and coming back). On way out we paid for Fast Track BUT it was slower than ALL the other queues by a long way and apparently it is like that all the time. There is no clear instruction anywhere near this isle to tell people what to do, everyone had to be told individually (belts, coats etc) and loads of people left liquids in their bags, so everyone's bags were taken for a search by just one poor man. It took at least half an hour once you had gone through the scanner to get your bags. Someone actually said to a supervisor 'can you do something we are going to miss our flight' and he just looked at them with disgust and said that everyone is busy, be patient. Meanwhile everyone in standard security lanes was whizzing past us. They need clear signage on this lane or it will never be 'fast'. Food terrible at the Smokehouse. I left without eating as it was inedible.

When we got off the plane there was zero guidance as where to go. We followed a woman passenger and started trying doors - they just left us meandering on the tarmac! On the way back through passport control we were asked if we had kids? Said no and were told, Ok this way. We followed the way the guy said and then got shouted at as we had been told the wrong way. Won't use this airport again. Too chaotic.

Did they not think people were traveling en masse I asked if there was a strike by security staff, no apparently. WiFi not working either. No explanation or apologies.

Overall experience of Luton Airport going and coming back was good.

Especially good coming back. Straight through security and quick bag collection.

Going out I paid for Fast Track Security pass.

Went through priority isle and was met with queue.

Staff were letting all passengers through this area to speed up everyone.

Waste of time paying for it.

Just booked Carpark. If your plane is delayed beyond time booked you automatically have to pay another £58 for another whole day. But airport to the rescue. Pay £1.99 and we will insure you against this!!!!.

No wonder this is regarded as the worst London airport by far

Carp going out!

Baggage checkers utter useless.

Carp coming in.

Waiting ages and ages for our flight have its luggage removed.

AVOID AT ALL COST!!

Luton airport is like taking the elements of Gatwick airport and squeezing them into a much tinier space. This exaggerates all the bad points about Gatwick - crowds, stress, queues, noise, poor quality services etc. The only thing I liked was the quick passage through security otherwise it was unrelentingly awful. Also it's not in London at all, its in the middle of nowhere!

Not an airport putting customers first. The gate areas are dire with few seats, no aids like air bridges or escalators. Even putting aside the work going on they seem to want to find ways of inconveniencing users by charging for drop off, charging for trolleys and trying to force no pick up access to metered taxi services, instead using a very expensive service which I assume are paying the airport. Our experience of this taxi service was simply dire. It is our local airport, it is certainly not our favourite

Even allowing for there development work Luton is a dreadful place. I am obliged to use it a lot, mainly on business. For leisure flights I avoid it like the plague. Leaving aside the things they can fix, like improved traffic access, covered walkways from the new car park, eliminating the third-world class boarding gates, and so on it is the attitude to customers that is appalling. Luton senior management see customers as cash cows to be milked and the attitude trickles down. The inadequate security facilities mean more people have to pay for fast-track. Inadequate executive lounge space means more time spent in the retail area and on refreshments. Drop off charges - cynically increased by 50% recently. And can you believe a recent 'innovation' is no public taxi rank so you have to pay the extravagant Addison Lee private hire rates from which the airport doubtless gets a cut. The highest baggage trolley charge of all the London airports - interesting that the privately owned Gatwick and Heathrow do not charge.

Maybe that is is. The airport is owned by the labour-controlled local authority, part of a sector that has yet to learn that saying you give great service means nothing if you don't actually give it. My next nearest airport is Heathrow and I support the third runway just because it means I would have to use Luton less often. The other thing to be learned about customer service is that if you act like you do not have to worry about it because you have a captive audience, that audience will vote with its feet once given a choice.