WorldLux

Have a look around Victoria coach station around 3 - 5 am, a place many STN passengers will have to go through to catch their early morning flights. Stansted is a really nice place compared to Victoria coach station.

Re: long queues, security seems to cope reasonably well with the masses. I did however note on my few FR flights that people seem to adore queueing, with some queuing in the non-priority line as early as 30 minutes before boarding is supposed to commence. The airplane isn't yet on the ground. Absolute madness.


PS: Don't forget to compare it to the "terminals"* out of which FR operates elsewhere.

*"a large shed with a duty free shop" would be a more appropriate description

holloway1000

I suspect that the distance traveled to the airport also has some bearing on the perception of it.

When i lived in Chelmsford, i used to like STN, mainly because i could get home from there in 25 mins. so would chose it over LHR or LGW.

Now im only half an hour from LHR, I wouldn't consider STN. Not because of the facilities, but because i would rather go from LHR or LGW than trek round the M25 and M11

linz36

YES: most people here have not been to Lyon Terminal 1 where even BA, Lufty, Emirates, Turkish and Easyjet depart from. I have never seen such queues before in my life.

THEOBCMAN

I was there in March at 0500 (Not school or bank holidays) and that is exactly what is was like. There was not one seat to be had anywhere in the terminal with people strawn across all floor to wall space ! I really got quite depressed and starting dreaming about T5 Galleries - an absolute haven in comparison !!

nd100

The irony is that Foster's original design was all about the unobstructed flow of passengers from the car park to the plane. He is quite horrified by the cluttered-up obstacle course it's become.

NickB

I have highlighted this because this is the other thing that has changed considerably since 1998: airports, especially in the UK, have become ruthless in exploiting retail space to its absolute maximum. As allturnleft said, the terminal was a delight in the early days, not least because of the very airy, see-through Norman Foster design. That design is pretty much ruined with the hyper-commercialisation, which makes much of STN airside feel like a neon-lit den.

Actually, while I don't particularly like STN, one thing which I find they are excellent at and could teach one airport or 50 a thing or two is about the efficiency of security screening. I occasionally have a 6H35 flight at STN and I typically will arrive at 5H40 on the Stansted Express and make it without problem to the gate, even without fast track. I was a bit hesitant at first as everybody had told me what a zoo STN was early morning and that I would need to buy Fast Track to have a the remotest chance of making it. While STN is indeed a zoo early morning, security is fast. If you do not dilly-dally, it is possible to arrive less than an hour before take off and still make it. I would not advise others to do it as I know that the risk is not zero but this has worked for me until now.

etiene

Ah yes, STN - my usual haunt since I'm most often going from Cambridge to Amsterdam. I've gotten used to it, and it's bearable for me now that I know how to navigate it. Early morning is a zoo, especially now that we're entering Summer holiday season. As CWS says, it's rather calmer late-afternoon/early-evening which suits me as I prefer to travel the night before when I can.

Fast-track security is a must at this time of year - while it's often moving fine I have seen the scanners immobilised due to the backup of trays sectioned for manual search. There are apparently still lots of people who think they can take entire shampoo bottles etc on holiday - even a decade and a half or so since that was stopped by the security theatre.

Pretty sure any secret corridor would have to be near the first loos after security, but I too would be wary of being trapped behind the scenes and asked some pointed questions!

Greenpen

flatlander

The original post has Stansted down pretty accurately in summer. In winter it's merely crowded.

The checkin areas are busy, the traffic flow of people from arriving transport to checkin to security involves crossing paths at least once, so everyone is dodging everyone else. The security queues are dense, though they do claim they process 95% within 10 minutes.

By far the most irritating and frustrating thing about Stansted is how relentlessly extractive MAG is, even though every person in there is a paying customer (through the passenger service charge). The narrow, winding path past all the shops is purely profit over passenger ease. Then you get the departures hall.

Here is the seating area in the departures hall on the most recent Sunday afternoon (flights are carefully announced 40-45 minutes before departure and no earlier, lest passengers make an undeserved escape from the crush towards the gate areas):



This is entirely typical. Note how the seating at the eateries is almost entirely full as well. Meanwhile the various clothes and fashion retail emporia are largely deserted, but all possible space has been rented out instead of letting unprofitable passengers have seating space to wait for their flights.

The way to survive Stansted with minimal metal damage is:
Arrive 60 minutes (plus 10 minutes if you walk slowly) before departure, absolutely no later but earlier will only lead to spending more time in the departures hall being irritated.
Ensure you have access to Fast Track security, if you don't have it on arrival then buy it at the counter to the right of the fast track entrance, and use fast track.
Proceed directly through the winding path past the shops as quickly as possible.
If you need water, the best places to buy it are HEMA, Itsu, or Pret. If you need food, get something to take away from Itsu, Pret, or LEON (these have the fastest service without being Burger King). There are no water fountains in the departures area whatsoever.
By now, your gate should be announced. Proceed immediately to your gate. The gate areas are usually less crowded than the departures lounge, unless they are gates 81-88 in which case they may be equally crowded, but it can't be worse.
Board your aircraft. Even the well-used, uncomfortable seating of a hard-used LCC airbus will seem pleasant compared to your previous environs. An Embrear is relative luxury.

Should you get there earlier, as a BA customer entitled to it, head for the lounge. Do not hang about in the lower circle of Hell above. If you don't have lounge access, don't get there early.


LHR T3 is very pleasant in comparison. LHR T5 is a different world.

popmagnet

There's not really anything wrong with Stansted if you a) travel HBO so bypass the queues at the bag drop and b) find something better to do than sit in the giant holding pen in the middle of the shops. My usual strategy is to bank right at security (no need for fast track if you do that - I've never waited longer than 10 minutes). Then I see how busy the lounge is - if they don't have the 'lounge is busy' sign out then I'll go in there, if they do then I'll head to one of the pubs that isn't Wetherspoons, where you're guaranteed a seat and better food than the lounge. If you're flying FR or U2, aim to be the last in the queue to board so you don't have to wait on the stairs.

gingerlucy

According to their own Twitter account in January 2018:

"Our water fountains are located by the gates 1-19 & 40-59 in the Departures. Also, all of our restaurants/bars are happy to provide you with free drinking water."


There are also apparently "honesty box" water vending stations with the suggested amount for a bottle being Ł1.

Stansted unveils 'honesty box' water stations - PASSENGER SELF SERVICE

allturnleft

ptr120

That is standard procedure - the one and only time it came in to LHR caused chaos. It is the designated airport for things like this and aircraft hijacks etc. Depending on where he is going on landing there will probably be an airside transfer to a helicopter in to central London

BOH

Quite right, when Bush arrived in 2008 at LHR it caused massive disruption (the entourage was the AF1 747 plus a 757 and 4 helicopters). A large number of airlines at LHR complained bitterly about the huge disruption so it has been STN ever since.

But surely BZZ would have been a better option all round as it is a high security military large aircraft base (handling RAF A330s and C5s on a daily basis) and also only 16 or so miles from Blenheim Palace where this idiot president is due tonight.

BOH

I flew from STN about 15 years ago and the long-term car park was right in front of the terminal building back then! It was a joy to just park in front of the terminal and walk in - now it is the short-term car park of course.