Fast track at Stansted

Autumnallightss · 03/10/2026 09:09

Anytime I went- mid of August- lunchtime - so busy holidays time- it was never busy at all, literally we were on our own..

incognito1991 · 03/10/2026 09:17

I’ve been to many airports over the past few years, all different times and months and I’ve never spent longer than 15 minutes queuing and getting through. That being said £23 is not really expensive in the scheme of things

MadMunchkin · 03/10/2026 09:22

I was there on Tuesday, around 8am and it was quiet. I had paid for FT but thought it was a waste given the general lack of queues. It was much more organised than Luton.

Original poster

HambleTheDoll · 03/10/2026 09:33

Thanks. We have decided not to bother after your comments, not flown from Stansted before.

Anyone reading this it’s worth it at Birmingham!

OP posts:

Havanananana · 03/10/2026 11:14

HambleTheDoll · 03/10/2026 09:33

Thanks. We have decided not to bother after your comments, not flown from Stansted before.

Anyone reading this it’s worth it at Birmingham!

Edited

There are over 50 filghts departing from Stansted every weekday morning between 06.00 and 08.00 - it is absolutely peak time as thousands of bleary-eyed passengers try to find their way through the maze that is Stansted airport.

I regularly fly at that time of the day and always book Fast Track, as well as allowing much more time than I would at Luton or Birmingham. Stansted is well over twice the size of Birmingham, and getting through security is just the first hurdle - you have to run the gauntlet of the painted ladies trying to spray perfume all over you, shimmy past the mountains of giant Toblerone bars and sickly Cadbury's chocolate, get past all of the shops selling stuff you don't need at prices you can't afford before finally reaching the seating area, where there are 10 passengers to every seat. Stansted is not really an airport - it's a shopping mall where planes just happen to land and take off.

Just when you think you can relax, your flight appears on the departure board - and it's off to find the transit train for a 10 minute ride to the far end of the airport, or a hike up and down stairs and along the narrow corridors, past the travelators that never work and into another crowded waiting area where the queue for Copenhagen is tangled up with the queue for Corfu and the passengers for Alicante who have spent too long in Wetherspoons are trying to barge past everyone to get to their gate at the far end before the plane takes off without them.

Original poster

HambleTheDoll · 03/10/2026 18:06

Havanananana · 03/10/2026 11:14

There are over 50 filghts departing from Stansted every weekday morning between 06.00 and 08.00 - it is absolutely peak time as thousands of bleary-eyed passengers try to find their way through the maze that is Stansted airport.

I regularly fly at that time of the day and always book Fast Track, as well as allowing much more time than I would at Luton or Birmingham. Stansted is well over twice the size of Birmingham, and getting through security is just the first hurdle - you have to run the gauntlet of the painted ladies trying to spray perfume all over you, shimmy past the mountains of giant Toblerone bars and sickly Cadbury's chocolate, get past all of the shops selling stuff you don't need at prices you can't afford before finally reaching the seating area, where there are 10 passengers to every seat. Stansted is not really an airport - it's a shopping mall where planes just happen to land and take off.

Just when you think you can relax, your flight appears on the departure board - and it's off to find the transit train for a 10 minute ride to the far end of the airport, or a hike up and down stairs and along the narrow corridors, past the travelators that never work and into another crowded waiting area where the queue for Copenhagen is tangled up with the queue for Corfu and the passengers for Alicante who have spent too long in Wetherspoons are trying to barge past everyone to get to their gate at the far end before the plane takes off without them.

Show quote history

Do you work for Stansted marketing? Sounds great 🤣. I haven’t flown from there before but think I’ll do the FT then. Worst case scenario I’ll have wasted the money but I need as stress free as possible this time.

OP posts:

bumblebee1000 · 03/10/2026 18:13

It varies, i have been and got through fast but as mentioned, it can be awful with hundreds of people and no seats or space, it dont seem to make any difference now when i fly its always jammed, i prefer southend...in and out in 2 mins !

Snackpocket · 03/10/2026 18:15

I wouldn’t bother. We flew from there last Wednesday and didn’t have fast track. Took about 10 mins to get through security.

ilovepixie · 03/10/2026 18:18

Havanananana · 03/10/2026 11:14

There are over 50 filghts departing from Stansted every weekday morning between 06.00 and 08.00 - it is absolutely peak time as thousands of bleary-eyed passengers try to find their way through the maze that is Stansted airport.

I regularly fly at that time of the day and always book Fast Track, as well as allowing much more time than I would at Luton or Birmingham. Stansted is well over twice the size of Birmingham, and getting through security is just the first hurdle - you have to run the gauntlet of the painted ladies trying to spray perfume all over you, shimmy past the mountains of giant Toblerone bars and sickly Cadbury's chocolate, get past all of the shops selling stuff you don't need at prices you can't afford before finally reaching the seating area, where there are 10 passengers to every seat. Stansted is not really an airport - it's a shopping mall where planes just happen to land and take off.

Just when you think you can relax, your flight appears on the departure board - and it's off to find the transit train for a 10 minute ride to the far end of the airport, or a hike up and down stairs and along the narrow corridors, past the travelators that never work and into another crowded waiting area where the queue for Copenhagen is tangled up with the queue for Corfu and the passengers for Alicante who have spent too long in Wetherspoons are trying to barge past everyone to get to their gate at the far end before the plane takes off without them.

Show quote history

Sounds a bit like Belfast airport too! Except we’re not fancy enough for travelators

tartyflette · 03/10/2026 18:25

HambleTheDoll · 03/10/2026 09:07

Anyone been from there recently and was it busy? Considering fast track but it’s £23 for 3 so not as cheap as when we go from Birmingham. Flying at 7am on Thursday next week.
Thanks

Stansted an be insanely busy at that time of the morning and I have paid much more than that elsewhere for fast track.
So £23 for three sounds quite reasonable to me.
I reckon I’d spring for a lounge too, just to be sure of a seat. I’ve been in really, really crammed departure lounges at Stansted with nary a seat to be had. Actively unpleasant, akin to the ninth circle of hell.
And then you’ve got to get into a metal tube and ascend to 30,000 feet…

SweetBaklava · 03/10/2026 18:34

Last few times I’ve been through Stansted the security has been pretty quick!