To arrive at the airport at 5am for a 6:20am flight?

[CroccyWoccy]

Trying to figure out logistics for an early morning flight. Can’t get to the airport before 5am without staying the night before. Flight is 6:20am. Only flying with hand luggage, will have checked in online.

Is this doable or do I need to stump up for a hotel?

Also, if you think you will need the loo between arriving at Stansted and getting on the plane, be prepared to queue for that as well. Everyone else has done the same as you- got up early and had a big coffee to get themselves, er, moving. Anyway I'll leave that thought with you.

No chance.
DS missed a flight at Heathrow thanks to a train which just didn't get there when it should have done.
It cost him an additional £400 to get on the next flight, not to mention the six hour wait for it.

I’d disagree.

I’ve often arrived for flights with one hour 20 to spare if hand luggage only at stansted.

I suppose it depends on consequences if you miss it.

it is tight though! Which is why you’re asking, but definitely possible if you arrive on time.

I wouldn't. Fly from stanstead a lot and sometimes it's quick but other times security has taken so long. We were in the queue for an hour and a half few weeks ago.

I can recommend the Stanstead Novotel.

There’s just no margin for anything going wrong and I would be so stressed it wouldn’t be worth it. Depends how bothered you are about missing the flight. A longed for holiday then worth it to stay the night before. A work trip then yes I can get it’s more of your free time to stay the night before.

DH often cuts it fine for work trips! Always aims to get to the airport about an hour and a half before.

What's the latest you can get there the night before? I'd not chance that short a time, but I'd pretty happily turn up at midnight and just have a long wait in the airport. Save the cost of a hotel, which there is no chance I'd pay for.

Presuming no DC with you of course. I'd suck up the hotel cost then.

I went through Stansted last week. They're trialling new scanners which mean you don't have to put your liquids in separate bags, but you're only selected for that trial once you've already faffed about putting liquids in bags so you then need to put everything back in your bag. The queues were massive and added at least 30/45 mins to processing times.

Edited to add that because they're not sure how accurate the new scanners are yet, lots of bags and people were beinv pulled for second scans.

I'm not familiar with Stansted but I regularly travel from Gatwick and Heathrow short haul with hand luggage only & checked in online beforehand. 1 hour 20 is perfectly adequate for that.

I'd pay for fast track security if you can, and be 100% sure your hand luggage contents are entirely within security rules to mitigate the risk of it being pulled for second search.

Like others have said it can take ages to get off the platform at the railway station. Last time we got it there was 1 ticket inspector who wasn’t even attempting to hurry checking tickets and railcards and another 1-2 people stopping people from going through. We were so glad we were early as there was a massive crowd trying to get through and it was stressful.

get an uber or bolt which will be cheaper than a hotel. But I would just get a hotel personally ..

At that time of the morning you'll be fine

If it's like birmingham last weekend there is no way. Also keep in mind that the gate is likely to close well before take off. I'd say you need at least 2 hours if already checked in and not dropping a bag......

Gatwick would be fine. I have got off the train, monorail to North Terminal and through security within 15 minutes many times

Stansted not a chance. Their security is awful and they seem to do a lot more “random” bag checks than other airports I go through so there is a risk you get caught up waiting for your bag to be manually checked

Do the buses (either from Victoria or Liverpool St) work out better time wise? At that time of day the roads won’t be that busy

Definitely doable but you'll want to pay ahead for fast track security

Manchester 7am flight last weekend and had bags. We whizzed through. We didn't have to take liquids out of bags so security was fast. Not been from Stansted recently though.

DH used to fly from Stansted regularly, and it was always extremely busy first thing in the morning.

Also, I keep getting newsflashes with advice to arrive at the airport at least two hours before a shorthaul flight. There is no way I would allow so little time TBH. Our train service is woefully unreliable these days.

As someone else has said pay for fast track.
we overslept - and I have never done that before ever even when much much younger - we had the same as you and fast track. We were very lucky and had plenty of time for a coffee and bacon butty - but it was stressful on the way to the airport

I would say that's fine but to be honest around the normal time I aim to arrive at standard before a flight - I'm quite a laid back traveller

God not Stansted esp if it’s Ryanair it’s horrendous

God, this is making me retrospectively tense about the many times we've dropped the kids off at the Stansted midstay bus two hours before their flights.

I flown from Stansted countless times and never known it to be slow. I'd say you'd be absolutely fine. But would worry about the train, I've never taken it so don't know how reliable it is.

If you don't want to pay for a hotel, just sleep in the airport.... I've had to do it before (not through choice tho) and it's been fine. And that was with three small children!

Last time I went through Stansted (last autumn) it took longer to get out of the train station than through security! How many trains will be arriving at that time of the morning? I would have thought 1 hour 20 minutes would be fine but is arriving very late the night before and crashing at the airport for a few hours an option?

Totally fine to do this! I did the same this week.