How to travel more responsibly
Think about alternative ways to get to LLA
The trip you make to the airport may be short in comparison to your overall travel plan, but it can make a big difference when it comes to sustainability. For example, if you’re travelling to London Luton Airport from Central London, you could significantly cut your emissions by leaving your car at home.
Petrol car from central London: 55km -> 9.8 kg/co2e
Train from central London: 52km -> 1.84 kg/co2e
Coach from central London: 55km -> 1.5 kg/Co2e
If you arrive at the airport by train, you’ll also be able to take advantage of the Luton DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit), an electrically powered people mover that whisks you from Luton Parkway rail station to the terminal in just under 4 minutes, replacing the previous bus shuttle service. By introducing the DART, we saved just under 1000 tco2e in 2023! Connecting seamlessly with the DART is the Luton Airport Express train service from central London which gets you to the airport terminal in around 30 minutes.
If a coach is more your style, choose this method of transport instead of a petrol car and you’ll make an 84% Saving in Carbon Emissions. Go for the train rather than driving yourself and enjoy an 80% Saving in Carbon Emissions.
Eat meat-free while waiting for your flight
Whether it’s a quick bite or a relaxing meal, eating at London Luton Airport can get your travels off to a great start. And if you’re looking for ways to be climate-responsible during your trip, then one great way to do it is to choose meat-free options.
According to research from the University of Oxford, if a person who ate 100g of meat a day were to become vegan they would shrink their carbon footprint by 60%, saving the annual equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Even cutting their intake in half would have a substantial benefit, letting them reduce their footprint by 35% and saving almost a tonne of carbon dioxide a year. So, by choosing to switch to a meat-free alternative, you can make a big difference.
You’ll find plenty of delicious meat-free dishes on offer throughout our terminal restaurants, making it easy to find a sustainable option to suit you.
Bring (or buy) reusable water bottles and coffee cups
Using a refillable water bottle is a wonderful way to cut down on the amount of disposable plastic used. In fact, Water UK reports that if 1 in 10 of us refilled a bottle rather than buying a disposable plastic one just once a week, we’d save around 340 million plastic bottles a year. This makes it a very sensible switch for the earth-conscious. You’ll find plenty of water refill stations across the terminal, so you can stay hydrated while also helping out the planet. And if you forget your reusable bottle, don’t worry, you can buy them in Duty Free or another of our retailers.
A reusable coffee cup can also help you reduce your waste and save on paper cups and plastic lids. Our terminal cafes and restaurant will be happy to fill your reusable coffee cup when you’re getting your caffeine fix.
Recycle your waste
We all know that recycling is a great way to cut down on our environmental impact and the good news is that you can do it even when you’re at the airport. In the airport terminal, you’ll find our new categorised bins, which make it easy to separate your recycling. Having separate recycling bins makes it easier and more efficient for us to recycle all suitable waste and your help in using the correct bins is very much appreciated.
Consider shorter trips
Of course, the further you travel, the bigger your environmental impact is going to be. Sometimes, this won’t be something you’re able to influence – there are some occasions you can’t or won’t want to miss, whether those are business trips or important family celebrations. But when you’re choosing your next holiday, you may be interested in considering the distance from home and how that might impact your emissions. For example:
Roundtrip London Luton Airport to Amsterdam – 0.291 tco2e
Roundtrip London Luton Airport to Budapest – 0.631 tco2e
Roundtrip from London Luton Airport to Alicante – 0.703 tco2e
Roundtrip London Luton Airport to Crete, Greece – 1 tco2e
Think about your carbon emissions when picking a flight
It’s not just distance that’s worth thinking about, different types of planes produce different levels of emissions – so it can be worth looking around.
For example, New-Generation Aircraft offer some huge advantages. Most New-Gen Aircraft are around 20% more efficient compared to previous models. In 2023, around 25% (27%) of all flights at London Luton Airport were operated on a New-Gen Aircraft, saving around 11,000+ tCo2e throughout the year. Plus Wizz Air’s Luton-based fleet is now entirely made up of quieter, more fuel-efficient Airbus A321 Neos. You can find out what generation of aircraft is being used for any particular flight by checking your flight on our website.
You can use the flight emissions calculator available on myclimate.org to work out which flights are likely to have the lowest emissions. There may be some occasions when there’s only one flight that will get you where you need to be, but there are often a number of options to choose from.
Fly less and stay longer
Another way to fly more responsibly is to extend your stays and make the most of every single trip. So rather than taking two short breaks to the same destination, why not see if you can combine your holiday time for a longer break? This will cut down on the number of flights needed and naturally reduce your carbon footprint, while potentially giving you more time to relax during your stay.
Swap to plastic-free for haircare and body essentials
Another great tip for being more environmentally aware when travelling is to make the switch from bottled shampoo, conditioner and bodywash to bars. Going plastic-free means you’re reducing your waste drastically. Not only are you cutting out the need for packaging, but a study from the Institute of Environmental Engineering in Switzerland found that on a per-wash basis, the carbon footprint of liquid soap is 25% higher than bar versions.
What’s more, because many of us use travel-sized bottles when flying, swapping for solids saves even more plastic than you would for full-sized containers. Packing solid wash bars is also a great way to avoid accidentally falling foul of liquid limits when travelling.