Chalfont St Giles to Luton Taxi

The clockwise route from HP8 to Luton, and the last two miles

Luton sends the car the opposite way round the M25 from Heathrow and Gatwick. We drop out of the village on the A413 towards Chalfont St Peter, cross onto the A40 and pick up the M40 at Denham, then take Junction 1A onto the M25 at Junction 16 and turn clockwise: past Junction 17 for the A412 at Maple Cross, Junction 18 for the A404 at Chorleywood and Junction 20 for the A41, as far as Junction 21 where the M1 comes in. North on the M1 to Junction 10, then the M1 spur to Junction 10a and the A1081 New Airport Way, a couple of miles of dual carriageway that runs right up to the terminal. One detail is worth knowing on the final approach: at the roundabout before the tunnel the airport asks drivers to ignore the sat-nav and follow the signed Drop Off and Pick Up route, and that is what ours do. For collections on the Amersham side of the village, along Nightingales Lane, Cokes Lane or Roughwood Lane, it is often tidier to run up to Little Chalfont and join the M25 at Junction 18 off the A404 instead. If the M1 is blocked, the A1081 through Harpenden and St Albans and the A414 from Junction 8 both feed back to the same New Airport Way.

Around 52–67 minutes is what we work to, and Luton is the airport that most often wants a car in the small hours from HP8, because the short-haul departures start early and the desks open earlier still. A car at three in the morning is a normal booking here rather than a favour, and we confirm the driver the night before so nobody is stood on a drive making phone calls at four. There is a single terminal, so no decision to make at the end, just the right drop-off lane. The passengers are a mix: ski parties in February, half-term flights for families at the village school and the Dr Challoner's grammars, and people who would otherwise leave a car in a long stay space for a fortnight. Plenty book the return leg at the same time, and we keep watch on the inbound so the collection moves itself if the flight slips. The same drivers cover everyday journeys around the village, which is why they already know which end of Nightingales Lane your house sits on.

Can I skip the security queue at Luton?

Often, yes. London Luton runs a free Prebook Security service for passengers reaching security between 3am and 3pm, which covers most of the early departures booked from the village. You choose a 30-minute window, from four days before up to an hour before you reach the search area, and turning up within 15 minutes either side of it still counts.

Half term is when this pays off. Luton advises arriving as your airline recommends, usually two to three hours ahead, and the family flights out of the Chalfonts all tend to leave on the same Saturday morning. Our half-term travel tips for families cover the rest of the planning.

If you were thinking of rail, the nearest option is the Metropolitan line from Chalfont & Latimer, which runs through to King's Cross St Pancras. From St Pancras, East Midlands Railway's Luton Airport Express reaches Luton Airport Parkway in about 22 minutes, and the Luton DART, which runs 24 hours a day, covers the last leg to the terminal. It works, but it means three separate legs with luggage, which few people want before an early departure. For every airport from the village, see Chalfont St Giles airport transfers.