Luton and Stansted Airports With a Baby: Free Loan Pushchairs, Taking Yours to the Gate and Where to Find Baby Changing (England)

Airport days with a baby go more smoothly when the logistics are sorted before leaving home. This guide draws on London Luton Airport’s pages on travelling with children, pushchairs and tips, and on London Stansted Airport’s travelling-with-children guide. It covers pushchairs, baby changing, family spaces and drop-off. Both airports are in England. Airline rules on pushchairs and seats differ, so each airline should be checked as well; the site’s guides to Gatwick και Heathrow cover two other London airports.

Pushchairs at Luton

Luton says departing passengers can take a pushchair all the way to the departure gate, where the handling agent says where to leave it for loading onto the aircraft. The airport warns that its gates have stairs. Pushchairs and buggies can go through security, but the child is lifted out for a few minutes while the pushchair is screened. Car seats and pushchairs checked in with the airline may need to be dropped at Oversized Luggage in the check-in area behind Luggage Point, and Luton notes that most airlines carry such items free of charge for families but must be asked directly.

On arrival, Luton has complimentary pushchairs along the arrivals corridors for infants and toddlers. They are returned to drop-off points in the baggage reclaim hall, after the family’s own pushchair has come off the aircraft. The airport’s terms say they are provided at no charge and used at the user’s own risk.

Luton loan pushchair rules

Luton’s terms of use for loan pushchairs set conditions. Only one child over six months and under 25 kilograms may sit in the pushchair, and the child must be secured with the fastenings provided and never left unattended. The brake must be applied whenever the pushchair is stationary. It must not be used on escalators, pushed faster than a normal walking speed, loaded with luggage or taken outside the terminal building. The pushchair goes back to the designated bays in the baggage reclaim hall beside belts 2 and 5. Luton states that it is not liable for loss, damage or injury from use except where caused by its own negligence.

Baby changing and family space at Luton

Luton says there are baby changing facilities in most of its toilets and publishes a map of their locations, along with its Baby Care rooms. Its airport-themed family area is signposted towards Gates 1 to 6, and the kids area is by Gate 7. Luton also offers a free, prebooked 30-minute security slot, which can be booked up to four days before arrival.

Luton’s tips suggest timing: it says that flights from about 9:00 until lunchtime and from around 14:00 to 17:00 tend to be quieter than peak times, though this is not a hard rule.

Stansted: baby change points and the Family Room

Stansted lists baby changing facilities on both arrival and departure. In arrivals, baby change cubicles are in the ladies’ and gents’ toilets near International Baggage Reclaim 9, on the arrivals route from Gates 40 to 59, and in the main arrivals greeting area. In departures, they are in the toilets in the Zone A check-in area and near Gate 13 for Gates 1 to 19, near Gates 33 and 34 for Gates 20 to 39, near Gate 43 for Gates 40 to 50, near Gate 59 for Gates 51 to 59, and with an accessible toilet for Gates 81 to 88.

The Stansted Family Room, in the main Departure Lounge next to the Prayer Room, has baby change units and a toilet cubicle with both a child-sized and an adult-sized toilet.

Getting there and checking in at Stansted

Stansted says the process and timing for checking in a pushchair differ by airline, so parents should ask the airline ahead of time. It recommends contacting the airline to reserve seats together and arriving at the earliest time the airline recommends, normally two hours before a short-haul flight or three hours before a long-haul one.

For drop-off, Stansted says the Mid Stay Car Park drop-off is free for up to 60 minutes, and Express Set Down is the quickest. The Short Stay car parks suit those being dropped off by someone who wishes to accompany them to the terminal. Facilities and rules can change, so both airports’ current pages are worth checking before travel.

FAQs

Can I take my pushchair to the gate at Luton?

Yes. Luton says departing passengers can take their pushchair to the departure gate, and the handling agent explains where to leave it.

Is the Luton loan pushchair free?

Yes. Luton says it provides the loan pushchairs at no extra charge, subject to its terms of use.

Does Stansted have a family room?

Yes. It is in the main Departure Lounge, next to the Prayer Room, with baby change units.

The bottom line

At Luton, the practical points are taking a pushchair to the gate, borrowing a free loan pushchair on arrival within the airport’s terms, and finding baby changing in most toilets. At Stansted, the baby change list by gate range and the Family Room make planning easy, while drop-off can be free for up to 60 minutes at Mid Stay. Asking the airline about pushchair handling before the day, and confirming each airport’s current pages, completes the preparation.

Sources

• Travelling with children (london-luton.co.uk)
• Terms and conditions: Pushchairs (london-luton.co.uk)
• Top tips for travelling with kids (london-luton.co.uk)
• Travelling with Children: 10 top tips (stanstedairport.com)