Luton Airport Blog

Airport trolley charges ‘soaring’

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:28:48 BST

Luggage handling firm, Bagport, has announced that it will double the price of its trolley hire service, from £1 to £2. The change affects Luton and Bristol airports, with Cardiff expected to follow suit within the next few weeks.

Based in Redditch, Worchester, Bagport provides a range of baggage related services to UK airports, including weighing, wrapping, and retail. The company has fallen on hard times in recent months, however, and blamed falling customer numbers for the recent price change.

Strangely, the price of a trolley in Euros has not changed, making it the cheaper option at €2 or £1.65.

A spokesperson for Bagport noted that, until now, the company had not altered its trolley fees to reflect a global rise in operating costs and was haemorrhaging money as a result. The price hike was a last resort, explained the spokesperson, but one that should allow Bagport to maintain its customer service standards.

Luton Airport has pleaded its innocence in the matter, claiming that it will not ‘benefit financially’ from any extra profits. Bosses have also said that Bagport made the decision to raise its prices ‘at its own discretion,’ and was not asked to make the change by the airport itself.

Bagport's pricing scheme differs from those used at Gatwick and Stansted airports, which allow travellers to use trolleys free with a £1 refundable deposit. Luton's trolley charge is not refundable.

Whilst lone travellers might not grumble at the new price, school groups and families with children could end up with a hefty bill.

The changes, which were implemented on Thursday, coincide with the busiest period of the summer holiday season. ‘Bagport is fully aware of the disappointment it might leave with its customers,’ the spokesperson said.

EasyJet faces total rebrand

Fri, 28 May 2010 12:24:36 BST

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, better known as EasyJet founder, Stelios, has resigned from the airline’s board. The Greek entrepreneur has taken umbrage with plans to expand the airline’s fleet by 7.5% a year, and is now demanding a £3m annual settlement for the continued use of the ‘Easy’ trademark.

EasyJet is a branch of Stelios’ EasyGroup, which includes EasyBus and EasyHotel, and the more unusual brands, EasyPizza and Easy4Men. Founded in 1998, the conglomerate comprises more than 15 different companies in total, each styled in Easy’s distinctive orange and white branding.

Stelios has an odd penchant for suing any business that uses the word ‘easy’ in its name, regardless of how long the company has been established. In 2004, a London pizza store was taken to the High Court after it refused to surrender its internet domain to Stelios.

The business, named EasyPizza, was alleged to have stolen its name from EasyGroup, despite being a year older than Stelios’ venture. Owner, Karl Kahn, described Stelios as a ‘rich bully.' The High Court and a major intellectual property watchdog have also ruled against the Greek in the past.

Stelios’ resignation from EasyJet’s board was prompted by an argument with the airline’s executive, Andy Harrison, who wants to purchase more aircraft, "I think profits will go up if the number of aircraft stops growing," Stelios explained. "I have given up trying to change things from the inside. Now I'm going to do it from the outside."

EasyJet’s row with its founder goes to court on 8 June – a battle that could cost the airline £5m in legal fees. Perhaps even worse, if a judge rules in favour of Stelios, EasyJet will be forced to ditch the elements of its brand that identify it as a member of EasyGroup, and become a completely new airline.

Stelios, who owns 38% of EasyJet, will now try to engineer a shareholder revolt, in a bid to undermine the airline’s management team.

Blue Air to operate Romanian routes

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:28:33 BST

From the 28th March 2010, Blue Air will add 14 new routes to its London Luton schedules. The airline is relatively unknown outside of Italy and its native Romania, with just two established flights in the UK. Blue Air’s latest expansion should help the airline boost its profile outside mainland Europe.

Luton Airport’s new destinations are all located in Romania. Blue Air is offering daily flights to the capital, Bucharest, as well as four weekly flights to Sibiu in Transylvania, and three weekly flights to Bacau near the Carpathian Mountains. Romania has grown very popular with British holidaymakers in recent years.

The country is perhaps best known for its rich history and architecture, including all the myriad vampire legends, and the supposed home of Vlad the Impaler, Castle Bran. The skiing resorts of Poiana Braşov and Valea Prahovei are also important tourist attractions, opening in December every year.

Airport manager Simon Harley offered a template statement, claiming that they were "delighted to announce further expansion with Blue Air at Luton Airport", and adding that "budget airlines continue to make travel accessible to millions of Europeans". The airline’s new Romanian routes will arrive just in time for the lucrative Easter weekend.

Blue Air plans to use a Boeing 737 on the new routes, a medium-sized aeroplane capable of seating around 150 people. The airline is the second in recent months to offer flights to Eastern Europe: little-known airline Danubewings announced a similar service from Luton to Slovakia at the end of last year.

Tickets for all the new Blue Air routes are available on the airline’s website.

Luton closed for snow clearance

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:38:53 GMT

In recent years, the British winter has been cold and unfriendly, closing schools and factories and spitting snow at old ladies in the street. February in particular has brought some of the coldest days on record, and this year looks to be no different.

On Monday morning, London Luton airport was temporarily shut down after an unexpected snow flurry made the runway treacherous.

Crews worked for four hours to remove snow and ice from aeroplanes, before finally reopening the terminal at midday. 10 airlines experienced delays, including Ryanair and Flybe.

Elsewhere, airports in Leicestershire, Cheshire and Suffolk were also struggling to keep their passengers warm, and both Manchester and East Midlands airports suffered cancellations.

In Scotland, temperatures plunged to -15 degrees, whilst Belfast Airport struggled to contend with a broken de-icing machine, leaving pilots to sweep the ice from a plane with an ordinary broom.

Meteorologists have predicted another fortnight of bad weather, perhaps rivalling December’s snowstorm, as the Met Office prepares to announce the coldest winter for 30 years.

Dave Elliot, a national forecaster at the weather service, was feeling pessimistic, stating that the weather "is going to stay over the weekend". He also said that we're seeing a "block pattern" this winter, in that the cold weather "started in the second week of December and we've not been able to shift the cooler air away”.

UK airports continue to warn of delays and cancellations. Travellers are encouraged to contact their airline before setting out, especially if the local weather looks bleak. However, all airports are currently operating as normal.

Slovak airline claims Luton slot

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:20:23 GMT

Poprad, one of the largest cities in Slovakia, is expecting a consort of British travellers this Christmas, after London Luton Airport announced a new route to the Tatras Mountains, a resort popular with fans of snow sports.

The advent of the winter season is unpopular with airline executives, because it marks the end of buoyant summer profits, and brings about a slow slide into financial insecurity. However, the European Alps and the modest Carpathians are slowly becoming a panacea for miserable managers, providing airlines and villagers alike with an income.

Winter sports remain a lively industry all year round, and intrepid skiers have been chomping at the bit since September, eager to find something a little more glamorous than the Scottish and Welsh peaks or a dull indoor slope. A boom in cheap airfares has allowed hard-up tourists to try out their skills on more exotic slopes, such as those in France, Italy, and now, in Slovakia.

Luton’s new route will serviced by Danubewings, an airline from Bratislava, and one of the youngest carriers to grace the tarmac at the London airport. The tiny firm has just three aircraft in its fleet, all based within the Slovakian capital. Danubewings will offer a thrice-weekly trip from the 1st December 2009. The carrier is keen to attract Ryanair renegades – travellers who don’t want to pay £1 to use the onboard bathroom. Michael O’Leary’s airline is one of the few British carriers to offer a route to Slovakia.

"Low-fare flying continues to make business and leisure travel accessible to millions of Europeans. The launch of this new service to Poprad provides yet more choice." Simon Harley, departmental boss at Luton Airport, was jubilant.

Danubewings does not have an English language website, but booking facilities are available on the London-Luton Airport site.

New hotel for Luton Airport

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:02:02 GMT

Hilton Garden Inn (HGI), a subsidiary of the famous Hilton Hotel brand, has commissioned a new 250 room hotel to be built near Luton Airport. The building, which will open in 2010, will be constructed by the property development firm, Ability Group.

Seventy direct jobs will be created at the hotel, ranging from catering positions to middle management. The Luton HGI is the second of its kind in the city, forming part of a massive inner-city regeneration project.

Whilst the hotel may not boast the luxury of the Las Vegas Hilton, the Garden Inn is still marketed at high rollers - executives and mid-market travellers with an eye for luxury.

The Luton HGI boasts a restaurant and bar, and bedrooms with custom beds, LCD TVs and full air conditioning. Parking for two hundred vehicles will also help relieve pressure on parking facilities at Luton Airport.

Ability Group chair, Andreas Panayiotou, was delighted with the project: “This is a superb location at the heart of Luton, next to the fast-growing airport and the Parkway station. I'm sure we will be very well received here.”

Hilton and the Ability Group share an industrious history, equating to five separate hotels in a number of cities throughout the country. The Luton hotel is expected to remain under Hilton management for the next two decades.

The HGI is an unassuming steel and glass block, but at less than one mile from the airport, the site is sure to prove popular with foreign visitors, arriving in Luton for the first time.

Each room has wireless internet access and a twenty-four hour fitness suite, just a taster of the wider range of Hilton luxury.