BAA London Stansted Review

Worst airport I've ever been to. Gigantic single row for x-ray. If you're in a hurry to get on board, you'll have to break a line on your own. Then you will have to walk (or run) a lot through the entire freeshop. Then there is a train, escalators and UFA boarding gate. Good luck!

they dont even worth 1star , i missed my flight because of this long crazy queues they have,short stay blue car park its too far from terminal ,they said its good for families its not ....I will never use this airport again.

4 pounds to do a drop of without free alternative is very bad

One of the most beautiful airports I have been able to visit. Inside there are a variety of shops, both for eating and drinking.

This Airport ist a mess. If you can use one of the local London Airports even if you have to spend few money more, everything here is better than to strand on this airport.

99% closed at night.

Yellow Jackets watching you that you can stay freezing outside if you enter the airport to early.

Such a great customer service, feeling safe during the journey and quickly passed through security. Really helpful with my little baby too. No stress before holiday, so wonderful.

no idea why people hate it,good shops,new stuff,a train,its a cool airport

dirty
bad organization
non polite staff
ryanair team sucks

Very good airport with efficient service. Good information :)

Busy airport, but quick security check. Rwlatove to the thousands of people.

Good airport not great social distancing enforcement but it's still good.

Me and my falily flew in from Iceland and our luggage came out soaking wet, even our clothes inside the bags were wet through.

The checks at the airport are fine, and here they are particularly scrupulous, but don't invent the "beep" of the scanner. So it just seems to want to support unnecessary jobs, in fact at the first glance there are too many operators at each checkpoint. It remains a fairly good airport.

In it airport security agent they stole my selfie stick... open your eyes!!!!

It has a very very slow security tape, and if you are not at least 2 hours before, you can miss the flight. The wait is deep

The security control would be more efficient controlled by an inbred monkey that was a bit clever. The staff is scarce for the influx of people who usually have and perform their work in such a way that they generate endless plugs.

Once the control is over, the distribution of the airport forces you to go through all the stores before arriving at the Gates as if you were in Ikea. It's as if Calatrava helped by Frank Gehry had designed it.

If you can choose to avoid this airport, I have been in some 15 different ones in all my life, and this is without a doubt the worst by far. A Frigate De Blas de Lezo is a better option than Stansted to reach the UK.

Utterly useless airport.
Not enough people to get planes unloaded led to five hour delay coming in here.
Arrived at 4am.
Terrible service and constantly under delivers.
An aweful introduction to UK visitors and residents alike.
You should be ashamed of such aweful service to your customers, including the airlines who you completely compromise as well.
Pull your socks up Stansted!!!!!!

Would you help a mum with a new born, a toddler, 2 backpacks, 1handbag and a pram at two flights of stairs?
I think everyone would. But the stuff at this airport left me all alone.
It made me sick

Airport is clean and have speed up the waiting times to clear security.

AirPort is designed for maximum discomfort, stress, and worries of missing your flight, screaming small
Little ugly shops and junk vendors terrible toilets and waiting lines everywhere worsts airport I have seen in a long time
Also they seem to make you believe that boarding is happening on the screens but nothing is happening the plane has not even arrived yet!! So everyone is standing and waiting in line for hours for
Nothing

I've flown from here a number of times and have always had a smooth journey. The layout of the new departure lounge would be better if it was more open plan and less like a shopping centre. There is a free drop off point at the mid stay car park from there you can a free bus to the terminal.

I really don't know why Stansted has such bad reviews. I've been flying from and to Stansted frequently for the past 3 years and if I'm being completely honest I prefer it to Gatwick or Luton. The transportation from and to Stansted is easy, cheap and relatively fast. Only issues you may come across will be from National Express or Stansted Express, which can be frustrating but most times full refund is given.
The airport is easy to navigate through, there's plenty of well supplied duty free stores to choose from and the staff are always lovely!

How to survive Stansted Airport

Stansted is growing faster than it can handle. The airport experience is now similar (if not worse) to the experience you get with the low cost airlines that fly from here (RyanAir, EasyJet and the like).

I could complain more, but I could also help fellow travelers:

Parking
If you need to park your car at the airport, use Google to search for Stansted Parking deals/discounts and you can easily find parking for half the price, even on the Short Stay (Blue & Green) parking on the far side of the terminal. Avoid Meet & Greet parking services and Long Term Parking.

If you need to collect someone, keep track of their flight online or in apps such as FlightRadar24 and make sure not to get to the airport before the actual landing time. Park on Premium Short Stay and do not pay for Express Set Down unless the person you're collecting informs you they're already through customs. The average time between landing and getting to the terminal is 30 - 60 minutes.

Public Transport
Stansted Airport is served by a number of coaches (National Express) and there is also a good train connection from London Liverpool Street and Cambridge. The Stansted Express stops right outside the terminal building so it's not far to arrivals or departures.

Baggage
Flying from Stansted means you'll be going somewhere on the continent for a short time, so pack light! Make sure to only take hand luggage and make sure your bag or suitcase is not bigger or bulkier than your airline's guidelines. You will hold up the entire queue at the gate otherwise. On busy flights it's not uncommon for RyanAir and EasyJet staff to pick out the bigger suitcases from people waiting at the gate and label them for storage in the hold (to make sure there is enough room in the overhead compartments), however this will not cost you extra.

Security
Do not pay for speedy boarding with your airline of choice. You'll just be waiting on a cold and windy staircase at the bottom of the gate because the plane is not ready (yet they started boarding anyway).
Use your money wisely and pay for Fast Track through security. Security is a right mess at Stansted. Mainly because people who fly from this airport seem to be first time flyers. They do not know how things work and keep liquids, tablets and laptops in their bags and this needs to be sorted out by slow and grumpy staff resulting in even longer queues. So get "Fast Track" through security and end up in a shorter line together with seasoned travelers who are better prepared.

Shopping
Once you have survived Security Hell, there are no shortcuts to the waiting area and gates. The airport is designed to take you through a "Tax Free Shopping Experience". Do not waste your time or money in these shops. Prices are always cheaper back home or wherever in Europe you're going. I know they just took your bottle of water at security so if you must just get a new one from WHSmith (free 500ml bottle of water if you buy a cheap newspaper!).

The Waiting Area
Now you're nearly ready for your crappy low-cost flight but at least you've survived most of Stansted Airport. The Waiting Area has plenty of (more) overpriced shops, cafes and restaurants. There usually is enough seating but you might have to look for it. Most people end up standing around the Flight Departure screens to be able to run to the gate as soon as their Gate Number appears.

To the Gates
Some gates (1-38) are served by a busy little transit train, other gates (40-59) require a walk (because RyanAir does not want to pay for your transit). Remember these numbers so you know where to go when your Gate Number is announced. Gate Numbers are announced late and you might think you will miss your flight: rest assured there will be another long queue at the Gate (low-cost airlines like to board last-minute).

Arriving at Stansted
When entering the "Border Force Queue of Death", please use the correct line: there are separate lines for families with small children, e-Passport Gates and all other travelers.

Since has been refurbished looks much better (air side)

If they want to encourage more premium airlines such as Emirates they need to improve on their terminal at the moment it just caters for trashy low class chavy types never again

Long wait at the security, most of the bags checked manually after xray, hence almost 1hr spent at the security during off peak.
Really bad phone connection - phone running on Edge instead of 4G inside the terminal. Free airport wifi useless - barely connects

Worst airport ever. No smoking area, no socket plugs, rude staff. Avoid if possible

Very nice and full of cheap shops ... I certainly didn't expect it

Big airport, nice staff, only that at the exit to the bus platforms the timetables of all bus lines are not displayed, the average access to individual bus bays at the bus station is average, you can get a little lost.

Cold to be there and wait for night flight, no space to sit. Areas are open and windy so not got solution to stay there on the flor. Some personal talk to you like to old friend, no professionals. If they have human approach maybe they can advice people but with such attitude you can even start conversation. I found place to be at 0 floor (by lift) where are buses. You can take a nap and be out of weather there.

Flight arrived on time but plane was directed to remote stance .. .passenger were left on plane for fifteen minutes awaiting transport... Transport arrived and driven to a gate but not allowed to get off .. Another 15 minute delay then allowed off finally Then waited 45 minutes for luggage .. Time in airport after landing took 30 minutes longer than flight itself .. Appears Stansted Airport are incapable of the level of logistic required for flights ... Very poor experience .

The airport is immense, but well structured.
It is advisable to travel with a biometric passport instead of an identity card, the line is drastically reduced.

Not enough seating for amount of people. Food is overpriced (but good variety). THE WIFI IS SLOW even when you pay.

Nice airport, and easy to get to from East London (Stratford) via coach. Departures is pleasant and modern, lots of seats and places to chill / shop before heading skyward

Worst airport ever: slow gates access, messy path for getting to the board when you land, slow passport check and long queues (I have never seen the e-passport checks work, and the support personnel at the board is simply useless). When sometimes I can have a choice, I would rather fly via Gatwick, which I know services work better.

Terrible staff. Security guys are terrible. They opened our bag for no reason and wasted our time . They even stole our watch. Never again this airport.

Bit of a Trek from S W LONDON. What with getting to Victoria and then the coach to the Airport..Need plenty of time.

An embarrassment to the UK. Especially the long stay car park where you may have to wait for up to four or five buses to go past before being able to get on one. Shambles.

rather big, otherwise a typical airport halt; Tip: money in no case there in euros exchange back - they offer a subterranean course.

Pretty ok airport. Seems a bit understaffed at time but they are as quick and efficient as safety allows. Often quite a trek to the gates for the elderly but for the rest of us it's fine. Short stay parking is terribly overpriced and long stay is ok considering it is just a few minutes walk from the terminal

The stuff here is really unfriendly and unprofessional. The lady at the security check called us just bloody people without a reason. I m really sorry for her but she cant blame us for her bad day :)))

What a grotty, sleazy airport. Since Manchester Airport Group took it over, its gone even further downhill, if that were possible. This airport has absolutely no respect for its passengers and treats them merely as a source of revenue. You don't believe me?
First, when you arrive.....absolutely outrageous charges for parking. Nearly 20 quid a day for long-term if you havn't pre-booked. Second, they herd you, harass you, and shout at you in security and some of the attendants think its funny too. Thirdly, once through, you have to walk through a tatty 'casino' of duty-free shops and folk holding out little trays of drinks and stuff they hope you'll buy......totally shameless and undignified. Fourthly, the 'train to the plane'......an over-loaded cattle truck. They try to economise at certain times, often peak times too, by reducing the number of carriages on the shuttle train so that passengers already exhausted from or apprehensive over their horrible experience with Ryanair have to cram in like sardines. Often the train then makes a second stop on the way but there isn't room for the passengers waiting on their platform to board when the doors open. Finally, if you dare to try and avoid their greedy charges for drop-off by stopping briefly to pick up a passenger on any of the airport roads, even for 20 seconds, a roving patrol car will photograph you and send you a bill. You dont have to pay of course because they have no formal jurisdiction on private roads but its nevertheless a depressing experience when either as a customer-passenger of the airport or someone collecting a customer you have all this hounding to boot. There's no other airport in any other country that treats its passengers like dirt in the way that Stansted does. Most large airports in Germany for example let you park right outside the building and offer you half an hour free parking because they know you are bringing them business. Stansted? Cynical rip-off. Avoid it like the plague.
Finally, how come, with the virtually unanimous negative reports on this feedback site, the average score is 3.5? Someone is fiddling this aren't they? Could it be Stansted Airport?

Easy to reach and nice big and not expinsive to fly from...injoy your fligh and big market inside

Twice I go through this airport. Two bad experiences. Long, far, worse airport

Much less hassle than Gatwick, because of smaller size. We drove from Kent via Dartford Crossing and M11.

Not the worst airport I've ever visited, but that's hardly an emphatic recommendation. Food options are not great and it's pretty small. Travel wise the train from Liverpool Street / Tottenham Hale is pretty convenient and more pleasant than the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow.

Not so difficult or expensive to get there.
I recommend a direct truck that you buy online. NationalExpress

Worst UK airport for family travellers with unhelpful staff, will avoid using in the future!!! Arrived the airport 2 hours early and almost missed my flight...

We had to queue for 1 hour for security check with a young kid and asked security staff if my luggage can be checked quicker as my boarding gate was closing in 10 minutes and got told "no way, you are not going to make it anyway!".

Worse airport I've ever been on. Took nearly 2 hours to go through train transfer and border colntrol. Hopefully never again.

Small airport but "lengthen" to go to the terminals you have to do a typical Ikea zigzag where Yes or if you have to go through all the people, where they try to sell everything ... Hurry you can not take. At the exit, exhaustive passport control ... Super long queues, but the worst at the exit .. of 20 scan only work 4 for normal and 2 for the fast track, they go at par .. you do not gain almost any time paying the fast ... Very demanding in terms of liquids, mascara counts like them! The good thing that has many bathrooms, shops ...

I have not any bad experience with them.. Nice and helpful stuff, clean place, lot of shops and places where you can eat sth. Easy to travel with baby. I always choose Stansted Airport for my travels...

Airport is about an hour and a half with the shuttle bus from Liverpool st. (Without traffic), beautiful pre tip can go up to 2 hours or more.
Large modern airport, always crowded, very accurate but VERY slow !! It takes miles to travel from security to gates (boarding) .. endless walk!
So it is highly recommended to arrive 2 hours before departure even a little earlier I would say!

Savings on staff every where you can here every point of this airport staff complaining about company savings. Easy to see where is coming the profit

Poor/fair us not right. Abysmal is correct. Try to avoid this airport - this morning (relatively quiet one) I spent 1.5hrs checking in one bag. Prior to that my mood had been spoilt by the most idiotic idea I ever heard of- the "Express More

We using this airport very often - parking is very expensive, the same food. But knowing that you can eat before you go at home.

awful experience in security even though paid for fast track was shouted at constantly by the security man who it seemed nothing was right for and no one knew his system. I tried to do everything right but with this man that would be impossible to achieve.

I am disgusted and upset at how I was treated I understand that security is important but there are limits to how travellers should be treated.

just being called Madam does not give him the right to adopt an abusive tone

It is very very busy at the airport.
But apart from the screaming kids on the plane,overall the flight was amazing and I really enjoyed the flight.

For a modern airport in a first world country, this airport tries way too hard and fails way short. Security lines are only 10 minutes, until you get thru the metal detector and have to wait another 10 for nearly every bag to be searched by hand. That's not efficient at all. It's what 25 minutes to walk to the gate?? Look at all this modern seating with usb ports. Wait, 2/3 of the ports I tried are broken and the seating is actually hard wood! You never get gate info until the last minute, forcing you to stay in the corral with minimally comfortable seating. I think Addis Ababa could give Stansted a run for their money.

Probably the worst airport I've ever been. First of all, dirt and stench especially in toilets. I was at major airports and there was no such tragedy. Since the port handles so many millions of passengers a year, it should have money to at least be moderately clean. The escalator from the queue station is broken in the terminal forever, and if they are already working they creak so that you can deaf. In the summer, no air conditioning - poverty is screaming. Generally shit and dirt - a shame for all of Great Britain. The only plus I find for this one star is easy access to the airport. Stansted - you are left behind.

A lot of rasturant inside. But you have too go out of the airport and trew airport security with conecting fligths

too small has problems with e gates everything is expensive

The worst airport in the UK, plus the travellers don t help very much too. Slow security, moody staff, long walk to get to gates, an absolutely chaos. You have to walk through every single store before being able to even see the signs of the gates. I only fly from here is I do not have any option.

Nothing wrong with the actual flying experience all very swift and good. However the shops and services beforehand were not, Starbucks made my the wrong drink in the same sized cup and Wetherspoons didn t accept my euros and seemed very More

Parking: I parked in Blue Zone, because You have a 30 minute free, but here is a tricky bit.From a blue zone to terminal is around 8 minutes walk, as 16 both ways.Not a great deal when dropping off older relatives .When You passed 30 More

Claustrophobic atmosphere, lack of seating in the departure lounge. Not a pleasant experience at all. Had to wait nearly two hours for our luggage on the return journey.

Took over 70 minutes for the baggage reclaim to inform our flight of where to collect our luggage after landing at Stansread...you can probably guess what low-budget airline we flew with, not acceptable at all..

Men toilet close to the main entrance is stinking. Overall this is not the best airport I've seen in my life, at all, staff is rude. Good for cheap flights. That's it.

Been here twice, easy to navigate staff are nice (ryanair) loads of places to eat sit and drink. As always like any airport it is very expensive though.

Yesterday the discomfort was very great, flights canceled, no assistance and adequate information, about 5000 people who had to get by, including many families with small children, more absolute disorganization, only for a bus that caught fire for a short circuit

I had a fantastic journey from stansted no complaints appart from this one my flight was at 12:10 and gate information was told it was to be put up at 11:15. Suddenly I looked at the board it was 11:25 and it said final call! They didn't announce it before that so be aware of that.

There is no underground or bus that you can use your oyster to get to there ; meaning that you have to book it in edvance enoying

the parking is very accessible and quick, the security checkin is a nightmare,,, lots and lots of passengers

Very large and vast airport, there are various possibilities for entertainment and food.
The documents section is a little slow because there are always few boxes open