St Pancras to Luton Airport; and How early to arrive for EasyJet flight to Lisbon

I'm not sure what "try our luck at the station" means.

You will be able to monitor the EMT website and see what is happening to the advance fares. Whatever you can buy on the website on your 'phone is exactly what the station will sell you.

If you opt for the anytime tickets there is no need to buy those in advance as they are the full fare tickets which you can buy at the station up until departure.

In this case as you are travelling TO the airport it makes sense to buy in advance. I am looking now and there are advance fares for as soon as the 0945 tomorrow morning- £6.10 rather than the book further ahead at £2.30 (to LTN), but still good value. There are £3.20 fares for the 0945 on Saturday morning.
I would leave purchase until a week or two beforehand in case Easyjet retimes earlier. As stated above you won't lose out.

It looks like they have now upped the fares so if you buy a through ticket to LUA (including the dart) you are now charged the full £4.90 fare, not the discounted £2.40 you were, so you buy a through fare for convenience, not to save money (as it was).
But check the ticket is to LUA not to LTN (the EMT station).
At the station exit you pass your ticket through the EMT exit gates, walk a few yards straight ahead then put your ticket in the DART ticket gates!! From the DART at the airport it is a covered walkway to the Terminal a very short distance away.

The train from St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway is very fast, I've done it. There is zero benefit to be had from buying a more expensive ticket. Sit anywhere on the EMT train- they are good long trains so there should not be capacity issues.
EMT/DART is absolutely THE way to reach the airport. In speed and ease terms (and price with an advance ticket) it knocks the socks off any other way.

Thank you, isn31c: I was hoping you would chime in.

You've told me exactly what I wanted to know about the train and booking tickets. Our journey is not for a couple of months yet, and I will wait lest, as you mention, EasyJet change the flight.

I did notice that visiting the website on my phone, I was never able to get to a screen that would actually let me buy a ticket, or even show me the prices, but I had no trouble when I tried again on our laptop. We'll only be in London for a few days, so I will book the tickets to LUA before we leave home.

Thanks again.

Jane, there is also the option of the Thameslink trains also from (a different part of) St Pancras International Station, and they can also be caught at several stops between London Bridge and Blackfriars as well as City Thameslink and Farringdon, all in The City.

But the EMT will be faster and a good price, and comfier.

Do abide the advice above - if you get a ticket to Luton Airport Parkway you still need to get up the hill into the airport. That is what the (fast but expensive) DART thing solves. It would be a hassle to get a ticket for that when you arrive. Be sure to get the through ticket all the way to the airport as shown above.

About the time for EasyJet. I've learned that a bit earlier with them is always better than a bit late.

Be sure you buy any needed hold luggage when you buy your ticket, or at least before check in. Much more expensive at the airport. Same with check in. They make a fair amount of their money from from folks who do things at the last minute.

They are strict about carryon size and weight but if you buy the right seat that helps with the luggage.

This is probably old hat to you folk but perhaps others will also read along.

I just flew Easyjet out of Gatwick to Athens. (it is not Luton but wanted to give you a heads-up about how they handle checked luggage). It is not bad, actually quite efficient, but be prepared. Checking luggage is done at one of the many self-serve kiosks. You scan your boarding pass, print a luggage tag, place it on your luggage handle, align the dots, stick it together, and press the button on the screen to send your luggage on your way. There were agents available to help but it was very busy at the Easyjet check luggage area. As for my actual flight, it was on time and enjoyable (I paid extra to sit up front with extra legroom). You will pay for all food/snacks/drinks on board using your credit card to tap.

Thanks for the details, Nigel and Margaret. Nigel, you're the other person I hoped would chime in; your advice is always spot on.

I'll check my EasyJet info to see what time they want people to check in. We paid for better seats, meaning we can bring our carry ons onboard, but you're right about the information being useful to the larger audience. So much of what we learn of this Forum comes from reading other people's posts!

Margaret, your detailed picture of how checked luggage is handled is definitely worth saving.

Thanks again, everyone.

Hi, I am also going to be flying out of Luton Airport in August. How early should I arrive at the airport? At the smaller regional airports here in California, 1 hour in advance is fine, but you need 2-1/2 hours at the large international airports.

Thanks, Jeanette

@mauijette- it's best to open your own thread-then you get notified of replies.

The best advice is to check with your airline. Here check in desks tend to close at 1 hour before departure, so a general rule of thumb for a short haul flight airport like LTN would be 2 to 2 1/2 hours beforehand.
Any transport carrier- coach or rail- will advise 3 hours beforehand to mitigate against any delays you might meet on route. The same applies to driving.
At Luton lots and lots of flights leave between 0600 and 0900, so at that time of day I would say the longer the better. Although it is very, very excessive lots of locals arrive from 2200 the previous night and sit in the airport all night waiting for the early morning flights!! As the rail and coach service runs all night that is crackers to me, but it's what folk do.

@ins31c Thanks for the reply. I will plan as you suggest. And thanks to the other folks who pointed out the 2 different stops at Luton Airport.