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?

I have had too many train journeys cancelled to rely on the latest possible one.

I have had too many journeys where I've arrived at the airport at check in opening time, checked in immediately... and had barely had time to buy a sandwich in departures by the time I've queued for security, then toilets, then to buy the sandwichs then legging it to the furthest gate with two toddlers.

I don't relax until I'm at the gate!

You say risk adverse I say sensible.
Honestly, I was at Stansted a week ago. We had 2 hours before departure, no checked luggage, fast track security. We had 5 minutes in the departure lounge to stop and get a coffee and breakfast. That was it. If it had been an hour and a half we wouldn’t have made it.

If I worked on that basis, I would have missed at least 20% of the flights I've taken. I'd rather not run the risk of missing a work event, a day of a holiday or not bothering with a short break because the next flight to the destination is likely to be the next day and cost at least £200 because short notice.

Maybe at other airports but not stansted.

It is notorious for security being slow and then the gates are miles from the terminal. There were news articles last year of people who arrived 3 hours early who still missed flights.

Last summer people were arriving 5+ hours early because of the news which made things even worse.

It is the worst airport I have used but is on my doorstep so I use it regularly.

A friend of mine turned up at Stansted last summer and the queue to check in the bags was as literally out of the door. 2 hours to spare and the only just made it to the door.

I do regularly this regularly for a domestic flight, uncles it’s the school holidays.

I will sometimes check how many flights are leaving around the same time from the same terminal
as that will give you an indicator of how busy the security line will be.

Security really doesn’t need to take as long as it does but the FAFFERS. Was in the airport the other day and the amount of people who were just not using their brains was astonishing. The poor staff, one woman was about to lose the plot and I don’t blame her.

I thought this too last time I went on holiday but at when we arrived at Manchester at 4am (for a 7am flight) it was absolutely heaving. We’d paid for fast track security and I’m glad we did because the line was incredibly long.
Obviously this is Manchester which is a very busy airport (And notoriously shit with security queues) but don’t make the mistake OP of thinking just because it’s early means it won’t be busy!

I fly Stansted and I think that should be fine IF you are literally there at 5am and have fast track.

And by the way if you buy fast track in advance, the regular security queues will be nonexistent, but sometimes it is worth it for the peace of mind.

It's not worth the risk I'd stay the night before

Can you afford to miss the flight ? If not, stay overnight.

Stansted is really busy in the mornings as everyone prepares for the first flights out…
can you take a coach instead? National Express has loads from London - Victoria, Liverpool Street, Stratford… and they go throughout the night.

I fly domestically a couple of times a month with only hand luggage arriving with 1 hour to go.

You can purchase fast track for Stansted for £8 via Holiday Extras. I'd recommend that to get you through security.

It depends on how close you are to the airport and how you get there. We are at the mercy of an accident closing Woodhead Pass if we are going to Manchester or an accident closing the M1 if we are going to East Midlands or Leeds Bradford.

I would never rely on Trans Pennine always cancelled or delayed "Express" to get to Manchester either.

So, yes, I am very risk averse. Plus the fact that we often fly to destinations that only have weekly flights, so if a flight is missed the entire holiday is gone.

@Rycbar we often fly from Manchester and their busiest periods are first thing in the morning and teatime onwards. I was told this by a member of staff when I commented on how quiet the airport was when we arrived for a 2 pm flight.

Having almost missed a Stansted flight in similar circumstances I wouldn’t risk it.

Just getting into the terminal took ages, security was almost 50 mins, then train to the gate. We were last on the plane and running through the airport in a Home Alone style.

Personally I would not risk a train at 5am - there may be overnight engineering works which are delayed. Stanstead also gets insanely busy - even early in the morning. I flew from there recently and I was pleased I had a hotel there the night before.

Definitely NOT for Stansted. You’d think early it would be fine, but an awful lot of Ryanair and EasyJet flights are that early in the morning and it’s carnage! We had a 7am flight to Belfast last year from Stansted and it took us over 2 hours to get through security. The queue concertinas and us never ending and people were quite literally queuing out of the door! Don’t risk it

I wouldn't risk it, but then I'm the type of person that likes to get to airport at least 4hrs before departure time (we lived abroad when I was little and it was drilled into me!). I've known too many people miss their flights because queues at security have been massive.

I understand your sentiments but it’s massively airport dependent.

If you rocked up at one of the Heathrow terminals with hand baggage only and already checked in 1 hour or less before departure on most days you’d probably be through to airside pronto and then be kicking your heels waiting for your gate to be displayed.

Sounds like Stansted doesn’t work like that.,,,,

no way - airports are super busy at that time - no margin for error/ your ost make me feel anxious on your behalf!

Absolutely no, sorry! Not worth the risk. Business flights are that time in the morning. Stay the night before, get into the airport at 4.20.

We always buy Fast Track Security outbound & Fast Track Passport Control inbound when using STN.

DH hated flying from Stansted. It was always chaos there. It was the only UK airport that had direct flights to where he was going to back then (work related).

@CroccyWoccy when you get out of security past WHSmiths in-between Hoodle and Smiths is a fast track doorway....this will cut out the long slow route through duty free and all the shops. It comes out to the toilets near the Aspire lounge . Saves about 10 mins maybe more.