Why do people from the Sheffield area fly from Luton?

[Lewisham2221]

Moderator note: Split from

EMR intercity - As bad as xc?

EMR intercity - As bad as xc? Discuss. The trains are crowded, far to short and getting quite tatty yet EMR seem to escape the criticism fired at XC for the same things. How come? Today I have to use EMR to get to Nottingham and the trains are rammed packed

www.railforums.co.uk

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

Edit: To clarify, I was referring to posts which mentioned families travelling from Sheffield/Derbyshire to Luton Airport by train. I can understand why someone may choose a flight from Luton rather than East Mids or Leeds-Bradford, but families doing so and also wanting to travel there by train seems niche enough to not require a direct train.

 

[cactustwirly]

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

Because it's a lot cheaper than flying from East Mids and Birmingham?

 

[Yew]

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

It's one of the major nearby airports, and often has destinations that the other nearby airports don't serve.

East Midlands has poor flights.
Manchester has good flights, but it takes a long time to cross the Pennines.
Birmingham requires a transfer at New St, to get to Birmingham International, to then take the shuttle to the airport.

There is a clear lack of joined up thinking of building the new airport shuttle between Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport, and then cutting the number of destinations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Because it's a lot cheaper than flying from East Mids and Birmingham?

Manchester? Leeds Bradford?

I don't doubt people do it, though. I bet most do it by car simply because with Luton being a low cost base most flights are too early in the day/too late back for an intercity train journey to be feasible in conjunction with them, though there are plenty of budget hotels there.

 

[RT4038]

Manchester? Leeds Bradford?

I don't doubt people do it, though. I bet most do it by car simply because with Luton being a low cost base most flights are too early in the day/too late back for an intercity train journey to be feasible in conjunction with them, though there are plenty of budget hotels there.

and very, very close to the M1 of course.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Manchester? Leeds Bradford?

I don't doubt people do it, though. I bet most do it by car simply because with Luton being a low cost base most flights are too early in the day/too late back for an intercity train journey to be feasible in conjunction with them, though there are plenty of budget hotels there.

And any saving in flight cost is probably lost in the additional rail fare, especially if travelling as a family, where driving would probably work out far cheaper - even if factoring in airport parking.

There's plenty of people who manage to change trains to travel to an airport every single day - I'm just confused as to why people feel that Sheffield/Derby residents deserve some sort of special treatment

 

[Bletchleyite]

And any saving in flight cost is probably lost in the additional rail fare, especially if travelling as a family, where driving would probably work out far cheaper - even if factoring in airport parking.

There's plenty of people who manage to change trains to travel to an airport every single day - I'm just confused as to why people feel that Sheffield/Derby residents deserve some sort of special treatment

To be fair the pattern operated is a bit awkward at times - for instance in the evening peak Bedford (or Luton for that matter) to Chesterfield requires TWO changes. I think that could and probably should be improved.

Requiring one change is fair enough, however.

 

[sh24]

As we see the on the revenue stats, all the money is in London-X flows. With limited capacity and an already large subsidy to the rail network the focus is going to be on delivering the best possible return on taxpayer money.

 

[AndrewP]

Because it can be easier to get a direct flight by driving to an airport than either doing several changes by train or plane.

Luton also has a huge range of low cost destinations and good road access. East Midlands is more of a freight airport, Manchester can be a rough journey and by the time you've driven to Birmingham it's not a million miles to Luton. Leeds Bradford reminds me of a service station that got lucky

 

[43066]

There is a clear lack of joined up thinking of building the new airport shuttle between Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport, and then cutting the number of destinations.

How have the number of destinations been cut? It’s the same as before (plus a couple of changes), but with an enhanced service to central London. The Elizabeth line has also hugely improved connectivity. Via Thameslink.

 

[Lewisham2221]

To clarify, I was referring to posts which mentioned families travelling from Sheffield/Derbyshire to Luton Airport by train. I can understand why someone may choose a flight from Luton rather than East Mids or Leeds-Bradford, but families doing so and also wanting to travel there by train seems niche enough to not require a direct train.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

Strange use of the word "obsession" there, but surely a major factor is that Luton Airport has its own rail station?

I don't fly abroad myself but if I did, because my partner and I don't drive, that would rule my local airports of Leeds/Bradford and Doncaster Finningley out. Hence the choice would probably be to fly from either Manchester or Luton Airports and of course there may not be flights to your chosen destination from the former. That's why it was mentioned in the now split thread; as Luton Airport station is on the MML, why don't EMR run direct trains there?

 

[43066]

Strange use of the word "obsession" there, but surely a major factor is that Luton Airport has its own rail station? I don't fly abroad myself but if I did, because my partner and I don't drive, that would rule my local airports of Leeds/Bradford and Doncaster Finningley out. Hence the choice would probably be to fly from either Manchester or Luton Airports and of course there may not be flights to your chosen destination from the former. That's why it was mentioned in the now split thread; as Luton Airport station is on the MML why don't EMR run direct trains there?

If you did fly abroad you’d know that many flights depart very early or arrive late - often not at times that public transport is feasible hence people either drive or take a cab to/from the airport.

Making a hundred plus mile drive, paying for parking or staying in a hotel isn’t going to be that attractive, as it will obliterate any savings over flying from a more local airport.

 

[CMS1]

A major reason to travel to an airport by train is to save paying hundreds in airport parking

 

[Bletchleyite]

A major reason to travel to an airport by train is to save paying hundreds in airport parking

To be fair airport parking at Luton is fairly cheap. The cheapest option is (I think) the station multi-storey at South Parkway, though I suppose a fiver a pop for the shuttle might make one of the other car parks cheaper for a short stay.

 

[Cell2025]

And any saving in flight cost is probably lost in the additional rail fare, especially if travelling as a family, where driving would probably work out far cheaper - even if factoring in airport parking.

There's plenty of people who manage to change trains to travel to an airport every single day - I'm just confused as to why people feel that Sheffield/Derby residents deserve some sort of special treatment

I live in Leeds, 7 miles from the airport, and we were looking to go to Europe somewhere for my 60th. It was shocking how much more flights cost were from Manchester and where applicable, LBA. Added to which they are far more frequent in many of the Southern airports. The cost differential sometimes was hundreds of quid for a few days away.

For those who live withing travelling distance I'm not sure they realise just how the 'north south divide' crops up in situations like this. The choice is far greater, probably due to competition.

Anyway we ended up going to Brussels on Eurostar. The rail fare element (including LNER down to London) cost far less than the cheapest flight.

 

[Yew]

I'm just confused as to why people feel that Sheffield/Derby residents deserve some sort of special treatment

Because there are direct trains going through the stations, that used to stop there?

 

[westv]

I live in Leeds, 7 miles from the airport, and we were looking to go to Europe somewhere for my 60th. It was shocking how much more flights cost were from Manchester and where applicable, LBA. Added to which they are far more frequent in many of the Southern airports. The cost differential sometimes was hundreds of quid for a few days away.

For those who live withing travelling distance I'm not sure they realise just how the 'north south divide' crops up in situations like this. The choice is far greater, probably due to competition.

Anyway we ended up going to Brussels on Eurostar. The rail fare element (including LNER down to London) cost far less than the cheapest flight.

What about flight times though? If it isn't a convenient time (for us) then we won't use it.

 

[edwin_m]

Luton has some "business" type destinations where airports like East Midlands are mainly for leisure.

 

[dosxuk]

I've heard a lot more people complaining about the removal of the direct Manchester Airport trains than I ever have the Luton Airport trains. The vast majority of people I know from up here who've flown from Luton have driven.

 

[Cell2025]

What about flight times though? If it isn't a convenient time (for us) then we won't use it.

Agreed, but when you have more services available in the first place you're more likely to find a flight that ticks boxes. LBA is essentially a tourist hotspot airport, and Manchester simply doesn't have the frequency that there is down south. I suppose it's one great trade off!

 

[Magdalia]

Flights are the middle part of a journey from an origin to a destination.

Most airports do not have flights to every other airport.

Every flight choice is based not just on the bit from the origin to the take off airport, but also the bit from the landing airport to the destination.

Furthermore, lots of people find it easier to make a longer or more complicated journey to/from the airport at the home end than the away end.

This is most easily demonstrated with an example. I have a neighbour who has family in Spain. Both Stansted and Luton are near to here, but they fly from Gatwick. That's because, from Gatwick, they can get a flight to the airport that is closest to their destination in Spain.

 

[gswindale]

Our closest Airport is Heathrow, by some margin.

Airports we have flown from in the last 12 months are Bristol, Bournemouth and Southampton. The main reason for this was down to flight times. Even though our outbound flight from Bristol was relatively early (we have a 6 year old who loves a lie in at the weekend), the other alternatives made arriving at our destination very late (as it was, we took off at 08:50 and arrived at our cottage at 19:55).

Departure times are a key factor in our bookings and I would generally rather an early morning outbound flight with an overnight stay beforehand rather than landing at some godforsaken hour!

 

[m0ffy]

I live about 20 minutes from East Midlands; I work on the airport, and I have free parking there. I very rarely fly from EMA, though, as the choice of airlines is Ryanair or Jet2, and the destinations are quite limited (unless you’re a parcel). Manchester and Heathrow are both about 1hr30-2 hours; Birmingham and Luton are about an hour away. Luton is the (slightly) more user-friendly of the two and has a huge variety of routes as a hub for Wizz and easyJet.

 

[pug1]

I live in Leeds, 7 miles from the airport, and we were looking to go to Europe somewhere for my 60th. It was shocking how much more flights cost were from Manchester and where applicable, LBA. Added to which they are far more frequent in many of the Southern airports. The cost differential sometimes was hundreds of quid for a few days away.

For those who live withing travelling distance I'm not sure they realise just how the 'north south divide' crops up in situations like this. The choice is far greater, probably due to competition.

Anyway we ended up going to Brussels on Eurostar. The rail fare element (including LNER down to London) cost far less than the cheapest flight.

It’s not a north/south divide thing. Airlines have some quite complex revenue/yield management structures. They don’t discriminate it’s just business to them.

London has access to many millions of people either looking to travel to or from it. Similarly Manchester is blessed with that (though on a smaller scale). Leeds is a big city but with limited demand for inbound/outbound flights and so for the most part the airlines will fill their flights to a reasonable level and perhaps not drop the fares to a more competitive level in order to recover more revenue based on the convenience factor.

Just how it is. If you have a small airport with consistently low fares then it’s time to start worrying. DSA a case in point when they had easyjet, Flybe and Ryanair in there. Reason? The flights weren’t selling well.

 

[Bald Rick]

On the flip side, Luton doesn’t always serve everywhere. I am walking distance* from Luton, and although I use it more than any other airport, in recent years I have also used Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Birmingham and Southend, due to flight days or times / destinations / cost.

But I can know that people from across the Midlands see Luton as relatively near - it’s little more than an hour from Leicester or Coventry by car, for example.

* takes a long while, but I have done it to win an argument. Yes I’m stubborn / stupid like that.

 

[pug1]

On the flip side, Luton doesn’t always serve everywhere. I am walking distance* from Luton, and although I use it more than any other airport, in recent years I have also used Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Birmingham and Southend. due to flight days or times / destinations / cost.

But I can know that people from across the Midlands see Luton as relatively near - it’s little more than an hour from Leicester or Coventry by car, for example.

* takes a long while, but I have done it to win an argument. Yes I’m stubborn / stupid like that.

Luton’s proximity to the midlands was cited by easyjet as one of the reasons they closed their base at East Midlands.

 

[pitdiver]

Moderator note: Split from

EMR intercity - As bad as xc?

EMR intercity - As bad as xc? Discuss. The trains are crowded, far to short and getting quite tatty yet EMR seem to escape the criticism fired at XC for the same things. How come? Today I have to use EMR to get to Nottingham and the trains are rammed packed

www.railforums.co.uk

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

Edit: To clarify, I was referring to posts which mentioned families travelling from Sheffield/Derbyshire to Luton Airport by train. I can understand why someone may choose a flight from Luton rather than East Mids or Leeds-Bradford, but families doing so and also wanting to travel there by train seems niche enough to not require a direct train.

I live about 30 mins from EMA but next year we are flying from Luton. The reason being our normal holiday company don't fly to where we are going from EMA. Not sure if TUI do but easyJet who do fly to where we are going, don't fly from EMA. So hence the trip to Luton.

 

[Harpo]

What's the obsession with people (families at that) supposedly wanting to travel over 100 miles from Sheffield to Luton Airport to catch a budget airline flight to somewhere that they could probably fly to from a choice of 3 airports less than 40 miles away?

For me, where I fly from is the outcome of shopping around for best value, suitable dates and tolerable times.

Family members within easy reach of Birmingham use Manchester based on similar criteria and Cardiff for a relaxed experience as well as Birmingham if it fits their needs. They won’t consider London due to the M25’s involvement.

 

[WestCoast]

With the loss of the direct service, on public transport it can easily be approaching two hours from Sheffield to Manchester Airport and East Midlands and Leeds are both similar accounting for the buses. There’s no direct coaches either. It’s 3 hours ish to Luton so it‘s not all that unattractive.