What changed in 2026
London Luton's official meet and greet is now Priority Parking, and there is no driver: you drop your keys in a secure chute after checking in at a machine.
Most websites still describe the old service, with staff meeting you at the car. Anyone booking the airport's product expecting that will be surprised. The handover is now self-service, on Level 2 of Terminal Car Park 1, and staff move the car to storage on site after you have gone.
For a person to take the car, book APL or Maple. For a machine and a key chute, book the airport's Priority Parking.
Every way to hand over your car
Four products cover handovers at Luton: the airport's Priority Parking, APL and Maple, and Drop & Go at Slip End.
| Operator | Car park | Type | Transfer | 8-day price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
APH Drop & Go Off-Airport · Slip End |
Drop & Go | Keys in a drop box, bus 12–14 min | £53.19 £6.65/day |
 |
Official Priority Parking (Drop & Go) On-Airport · Official |
Drop & Go | Self-service key drop, 3-min walk | £75.59 £9.45/day |
 |
APL Meet & Greet Off-Airport |
Meet & Greet | Handover at Terminal Car Park 1 | £77.62 £9.70/day |
 |
Maple Parking Meet & Greet Off-Airport |
Meet & Greet | Handover at Terminal Car Park 1 | £90.99 £11.37/day |
*What eight days cost, using a sample stay from 7 to 14 November 2026. Search your own dates at the top of the page for today's rates.
Priority Parking, step by step
Park in a Priority bay, check in at a machine, tag your keys and drop them in the chute, then walk three minutes to the terminal.
- Enter Terminal Car Park 1. HD cameras record the car at the Priority barrier.
- Park and note the bay. Any Priority bay on Level 2.
- Check in. Scan your QR code or barcode, or enter your registration.
- Drop the keys. Tag them with the printed label and post them into the chute.
On return, scan your receipt at the collection locker, collect your keys and head to the bay shown on the screen. See the Priority Parking page.
A person at the handover: APL and Maple
APL and Maple both meet you in the meet and greet area on Level 3 of Terminal Car Park 1.
| APL Meet & Greet | Maple Meet & Greet | |
|---|---|---|
| Call ahead | As your confirmation directs | About 20 minutes before arrival |
| Car kept | APL's secure site | Maple's secure car park |
| Late returns | Per your booking | £20 a day, per a reseller |
| Price on our dates | Lower | Higher |
Drop & Go at Slip End
APH and Airparks sell Drop & Go at their shared Grove Road site: a key drop at their car park, then a bus of 12 to 14 minutes.
It is not a handover at the terminal, but it is the cheapest way to leave your keys with someone at Luton. The size limits are tighter than at the terminal car parks, so check your vehicle. See the APH and Airparks page.
Which one suits you
Pick by price, by whether you want a person, and by how far you are happy to travel after the handover.
Drop & Go at Slip End.
The airport's Priority Parking.
APL or Maple.
Maple or APL, at the terminal car park.
Height and size
All three terminal-side handovers happen in Terminal Car Park 1, which has a 2.1m height limit.
Drop & Go at Slip End allows up to 2.1m high, 2m wide and 5m long. For a taller vehicle there is no handover option at Luton; use Mid Stay or Long Stay, which have no height limit.
Charges on top
Read your confirmation for extras, especially for late returns.
Maple lists £20 per day or part day after the booked return date, via a reseller. The airport's gate tariff applies in its own car parks for any time outside your booking. When a flight is delayed, text or call the number in your confirmation early. Our Luton parking discount codes page explains how to apply the code at checkout.
Arriving on time
Plan to reach the handover with time to spare.
For APL and Maple, the call ahead lets a driver be ready; for Priority Parking, allow a few minutes at the machine. Terminal Car Park 1 is busy on summer mornings, so leave extra time for the approach. The walk from the car park to the terminal is short in every case.
The day of travel, compared
Each handover asks something different of you on the day.
| Priority Parking | APL / Maple | Drop & Go, Slip End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before arriving | Nothing | Call ahead | Nothing |
| At the car park | Machine and key chute | Hand keys to staff | Machine and key box |
| To the terminal | 3-minute walk | Short walk | Bus, 12–14 minutes |
| On return | Collection locker | Call from baggage hall | Bus, then key dispenser |
The airport's key drop and Drop & Go need no phone calls on the move. APL and Maple rely on a call, so keep your phone charged.
Passengers who need help
For passengers with limited mobility, the shortest walk after the handover matters most.
Priority Parking, APL and Maple all hand over inside Terminal Car Park 1, a few minutes from the terminal. Blue Badge holders and passengers with booked assistance also get 30 minutes free in that car park, which helps when someone needs to be walked in. Book airport assistance with the airline in advance. You can compare the choices on our Luton park and ride page.
Why guides disagree
Much of the web still describes Luton's old official meet and greet.
Pages written before 2026 talk about a driver meeting you at the car park. That is now true only of the independent operators. The airport's own product changed name and method, so check the date on any guide you read, and trust the booking confirmation for the process on the day. We describe each product as it works now, checked against the airport and the operators' own pages.
Paying for a person
On our dates, a handover with a person costs a little more than the airport's key drop.
APL's meet and greet sits just above Priority Parking, and Maple is the highest price we compare at Luton. The difference buys a conversation at the handover and someone to call on the way home.
Where the cars go
The airport's Priority cars stay in on-site storage; APL and Maple use their own secure car parks.
London Luton Airport says its own car parks are Park Mark certified, as assessed by the police, and patrolled around the clock. The off-airport operators describe their own security, which we report as their accounts rather than checking it ourselves.
Luton meet and greet: common questions
Not in the old form. In 2026 the airport replaced it with Priority Parking, a self-service key drop on Level 2 of Terminal Car Park 1.
APL and Maple Parking, both with handovers inside Terminal Car Park 1.
Drop & Go at the APH and Airparks site in Slip End, on our sample dates, though you then take a bus.
In the meet and greet area on Level 3 of Terminal Car Park 1.
On our dates, it costs a little less than APL's meet and greet and quite a bit less than Maple's.
The handovers happen in Terminal Car Park 1, which has a 2.1m limit.
Chosen your handover? Book it in the search at the top. Cancel free within 24 hours of booking. Booking in advance can save you up to 80% on drive-up prices.