Luton Airport Park and Ride

Three ways to park and ride

Park and ride at Luton means Self Park at Slip End, APL's park and ride, or the airport's own Long Stay with its free bus.

Operator	Car park	Type	Transfer	8-day price
	APH Self Park Off-Airport · Slip End	Self Park	Keep keys, bus 12–14 min	£58.09 £7.26/day
	Airparks Self Park Off-Airport · Slip End	Self Park	Keep keys, bus about 14 min	£58.09 £7.26/day
	APL Park & Ride Off-Airport · Luton	Park & Ride	Keep keys, transfer arranged by phone	£67.76 £8.47/day
	Official Long Stay On-Airport · Official	Park & Ride	Free bus every 20 min, about 10 min	£73.84 £9.23/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.

APH and Airparks sell the same Self Park at the same site, so their rows match.

Self Park at Slip End

A marshal checks you in and shows you where to park; you keep your keys and take the bus.

The bus runs about every 20 minutes and takes 12 to 14 minutes to the terminal, per the operators. On return, it drops you in your parking zone and you scan your ticket at the exit barrier. The height limit is 2m, and Transit vans, minibuses and motorhomes are not accepted. See the APH and Airparks page.

The airport's Long Stay

Long Stay is the airport's own park and ride in all but name: a free bus about every 20 minutes, day and night.

It has no height restriction and is free for up to two hours for drop-offs and pick-ups. It costs a little more than Self Park over eight days. See the Long Stay page.

APL's park and ride

APL arranges its transfer by phone: call at least 30 minutes before the arranged meeting.

You keep your keys. Resellers list 24-hour security, CCTV, a 2m height limit and £15 per extra day. See the APL page.

Side by side

The Slip End site is cheapest; the airport's Long Stay has the freest rules.

The DART from Parkway

The DART shuttle links Luton Airport Parkway station with the terminal in a few minutes, from £4.90.

It matters for park and ride in one way: a friend can drop you at Parkway instead of the terminal, which avoids the airport's charged drop-off zone. For a solo traveller with light bags, that can be the cheapest trip of all.

Vans and tall vehicles

Only the airport's Long Stay among these has no height limit.

For a van or a roof box, Long Stay is the park and ride to book; Mid Stay is the walk-in alternative, also with no limit.

How long to allow

Allow 30 to 40 minutes from arrival at the car park to the terminal door.

That covers check-in at the site, a wait of up to 20 minutes for the bus and the ride. On summer mornings, add a margin for queues at the car park entrance and at security.

Coming back

Every option runs a bus back from the terminal; follow the bay in your confirmation.

The airport's Long Stay bus uses Bay B. The Slip End operators give different bays in different places, so use the one in your booking. For APL, call from the baggage hall.

Keeping your keys

All three park and ride options let you keep your keys.

That separates park and ride from Drop & Go, where you leave the keys in a box and staff move the car. For keyless cars and anyone uneasy about handing keys over, park and ride is the natural choice. Keep the keys somewhere safe during the trip; a lost key abroad is a bigger problem than a lost ticket.

Luggage on the bus

The buses at Luton carry cases, but space is shared.

At busy times a large family group may wait for the next bus. With skis, golf clubs or a pushchair, allow extra time, or look at the walk-in Mid Stay instead. The walk from Mid Stay is about ten minutes, which is often quicker than a bus wait plus the ride.

What the transfer is worth

The price gap between the three options is a few pounds over eight days.

At that margin, choose on convenience. Self Park is cheapest but has a longer ride and tighter size limits. The airport's Long Stay costs a little more, has no height limit and a free window for pick-ups. APL sits between the two on price and relies on a phone call to arrange the transfer. The Luton parking discount codes page sets out what the code saves at each car park we compare.

Electric cars

APH sells an EV product called Charge & Go at its Slip End site.

It is not in our comparison, so book it with the operator directly. The airport's own Long Stay page does not list charging, so arrive with enough range for the drive home.

Early flights and the bus

All three bus services run through the night.

The airport's Long Stay bus runs 24 hours, and the Slip End operators run around the clock too. On the busiest summer mornings, allow for a queue at the site entrance and a full bus, and aim to be parked at least 40 minutes before you want to be at bag drop.

Park and ride with children

Park and ride is fine with children, but plan for the bus.

Pack so the children can carry their own small bags and you can lift the cases on and off quickly. A pushchair folds on most buses. With several young children, the airport's Priority Parking in Terminal Car Park 1 avoids the bus altogether, for a little more.

On the way home, keep one bag with snacks and water to hand, because the wait for the bus back can feel long after a flight.

Late returns on park and ride

A delayed flight home adds days to your stay.

APL lists £15 for each extra day on park and ride, per a reseller, and the airport charges its gate tariff for time beyond a booking in Long Stay. Amend the booking as soon as you know, rather than paying on the way out. Our Luton meet and greet page shows the car parks we compare, with prices.

Security

The airport's Long Stay is Park Mark certified, per the airport; the off-airport operators describe CCTV, patrols and fencing.

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 park and ride: common questions