Stansted airport

[Littlebluebird123]

I haven't flown in years so am a bit clueless as to how things work currently.

We want to fly from Stansted to Edinburgh. Edinburgh side is fine as we have family there.

What's the best thing to do for parking at Stansted?
How long before departure do we need to be there?
Is fast track worth it?
What else do I need to know?

Thanks.

We like the valet parking at Stansted, the car / key drop is 5 mins walk from check in desks and our car has always been waiting for us when we returned, with no / tiny queues.

(I do know of people whose car was stolen after using meet n greet though, mainly those with v fancy cars so be aware of that low risk! Not high risk enough for me to worry about.)

Personally I don't usually do fast track, security is not too bad, but I might if it was exceptionally cheap.

Get there 2 hours before your flight.

Just checking flying is the best way to get to Edinburgh? Edinburgh airport is quite a long way out of town so we have found the total journey is often slower than the train, taking into account airport faffing.

@Chewbecca
Thank you.

Do you have a link for the valet parking please?

It's not necessarily the best way to get there but my DD is going on a flight with school next year so we wanted to do a practice flight so she'd know what to expect. :) It'll only be travel costs as family will put us up.

Is Google not working?

https://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/meet-and-greet/

Recently flew from Stanstead for the first time. We used the mid stay car park and the bus transfer was super easy. We got to the car park 2.5 hours before our flight because I hate being late anywhere and that way we had time for a leisurely breakfast.

If money isn’t an issue do valet parking. The bus car parks are usually fine but occasionally not (bus didn’t show up and / or actually no car parking space available!). I don’t like travel stress so go with the most convenient option.

Queues at security were fine in the middle of the day but longer in the busy periods. It’s a busy airport so hard to find a seat, head downstairs (follow the signs to additional seating) for more seats and quieter areas

2hrs should be fine if you aren’t dropping off bags.

How long are you going for? For short stays the multi-storey next to the terminal is only a couple of £ more than mid stay and it's 5 minutes walk. I usually have a very early flight from Stansted so like not having to faff with shuttles or dropping off keys etc.

Agree with PP about the quieter seating area. Always find seats there even when the main area is rammed and it's still close enough to go for drinks/snacks etc.

We use the mid stay car park. Arrive 3 hours before flight( we've flown from there in May and this month and it was heaving).
Terminal very busy, and a bit grubby looking however they appear to be dojng some refurb.
Go down stairs for extra seating/quiet seating area.

It’s definitely the easiest way to get to Edinburgh! It’s only half an hour into the city centre by bus or tram from the airport.
IME Stansted airport is one of the worst around, I’d go at least 2 hours before your flight.

Quite often hearing about other people's personal experiences is more helpful. For example, DH has flown out of Stansted many times and it is his least favourite airport. There are loads of early morning flights and the check in desks/baggage drop and departure lounges are more chaotic than anywhere else he has flown from.

Do you mean to be so rude?

I forgot to mention that this recent trip we had a checked in bag. The Ryanair bag drop was an unorganised chaotic free for all.

That pretty much describes DH's many experiences of Stansted. We will never fly from there. It isn't close anyway.

I should specify, it's the easiest way if you're starting from near Stansted (I use that route to visit Essex / Cambridge / Suffolk areas) rather than central London. If you're already in central London then the train Kings Cross to Edinburgh is easier.
Have a look at the online departure board to get an idea of how many flights are going out around the same time as yours. If there's a glut of package holiday type flights then allow more time!

Agree, Stansted is fine with hand luggage only, but can be a nightmare if you’re checking in bags.

Can’t help much with parking as I always get there by train or coach, but I second the suggestion of being there 2 hours before departure. 2.5 even if you don’t want to be rushed. I never arrive more than 1-1.5 hours early at an airport but Stansted is the exception.

Ds flew from Stansted to Edinburgh earlier this year.

Have a look at trains to stansted as they drop you off right at the airport.

Other than that the website for the airport explains all the different car park options. There are different colour zones for the length of time you need and shuttle buses to and from the airport to them. Most say allow 20-30 minutes for transfer.

Probably better than your manners 🙄

we used short stay car park - for a week it was only a little bit more expensive that "meet and greet" which we had originally booked and paid for. We were put off by all the horror story reviews on google. Short stay was good and only 5 mins walk to terminal.

I’ve always found Stansted to be a very easy airport.

DD aims to arrive 1 to 1.5 hours in advance of a domestic flight with hand luggage only and has always had plenty of time.

The short stay car parks are the easiest as it’s just a 5 minute stroll into the terminal