In 2008, London Luton Airport reached a notable milestone as passenger numbers soared past the ten million mark for the first time. One of London’s major International Airports, Luton is the fifth busiest airport in the UK, but what is less well known is that only Heathrow has a higher percentage of business passengers. And the airport’s popularity among business travellers is set to continue, says Jo-Ann Lloyd, marketing manager at London Luton Airport, with more changes in the pipeline.
The only major London airport to post increased passenger numbers during 2008, London Luton has made significant improvements to its service provision over the last eighteen months or so, says Lloyd, even at a time when the aviation industry, like many other industries, is under pressure because of a turbulent global economy.
“As the market place has changed, businesses and travel management firms are looking to lower the cost of their business travel needs, and we see this as a real opportunity. We feel very strongly that we provide both value for money, as well as a broad range of travel options,” says Lloyd. “It is about providing flights to key city destinations at different times of the day, so that the business traveller, who is often looking to travel out and back in a short space of time, has plenty of choice.”
New routes, new carriers
The figures are impressive. Passenger numbers at London Luton airport were 10.2 million in 2008, up by 3 percent year on year. The airport bolstered its destinations roster with 15 new routes in 2008, and has added an additional 11 new routes in 2009 so far. From Alicante to Vienna, Bratislava to Zurich, executives can travel directly to over a hundred cities across Europe.
As well as new routes and more frequent flights, London Luton continues to add choice through new carriers. Blue Air and Wind Jet are recent additions, as is El Al. “The introduction of El Al, Israel’s flag carrier, operating from Luton to Tel Aviv, marked a new departure for the airport which has, until now, mainly served European destinations,” says Lloyd. “The flight through Tel Aviv actually provides interlining and onward connection to destinations such as Mumbai, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bangkok, for example.”
As Lloyd points out, catering for the needs of the business traveller goes beyond the provision of a greater choice of destinations and flight times. Convenience and ease of use is also important.
Fortunately, London Luton benefits from excellent transport links, with fast and trouble-free access available. “A lot of people are unaware of how easy it is to get to the airport,” notes Lloyd. “By rail you can go from London St. Pancras into Luton Airport Parkway station in as little as 20 minutes. Plus, by road, we have benefited from the M1 motorway widening programme, and there is a dual carriageway link right up to the airport as well.”
To add to the ease of access the airport has introduced valet car parking, so passengers can just arrive and walk straight into the terminal. There has also been more investment in the car parking areas.
The ability to speed up the journey through the airport extends to check-in, security controls and boarding. “This airport has one of the best records for security processing,” says Lloyd. “However, we now provide the choice of buying a priority lane pass for security, which is ideal for those business travellers on a tight schedule, or those passengers simply looking for the ultimate in convenience.”
An improved experience
The management team continues to look at ways that it can differentiate London Luton, making the airport even more convenient and easy to use.
“It is really important to provide a fast and efficient airport experience. We work with all the departments and with our business partners to make that process as simple and straightforward as possible, and the priority parking, priority lane, fast check-in to gate, go together with initiatives such as the priority boarding that a lot of our airlines also offer,” says Lloyd. “So comparing Luton to Heathrow, for example, we are a much more compact airport, and moving through the airport here is much simpler.”
To ensure continuous improvement in service provision, the management team has implemented a consumer research programme which monitors different stages of the passenger experience using Bluetooth technology. Elements such as queuing, and the dwell time in different areas of the airport, are measured, the results assessed, and potential service enhancements acted upon.
In addition, of course, there are all the other facilities that business passengers expect of modern international airports. Food and drink provision is fully catered for, with everything available from full service dining at the Est restaurant, to Pret-a-Manger and Starbucks. There is a good range of shops, including luxury brand names such as Kurt Geiger. And, for executives working on the move, the airport has wi-fi access, two newly refurbished executive lounges, mobile charging and various other facilities.
London Luton Airport has made significant advances in recent years; increasingly, it is the airport of choice for many business travellers and travel management firms. And the airport continues to develop, with ambitious plans for the future, says Lloyd.
“London Luton has a great potential to grow, the demand is definitely there. We will see growth, although until 2015 at least, it will be growth within the existing boundary,” she says. “We are speaking to new and existing airlines on an ongoing basis about increasing services, and will continue to work to provide information about new routes, additional flight capacity and new products and services.
In all this it is important to emphasise that we make a point of listening and responding to the needs of the business traveller.”
