Stansted Airport
 

1) Yes, I was able to use the fast track lane without any issues on departure last week. When you get to the fast track lane there is a big board with all there partners and Emirates is listed.

2) They use the Escape lounge, but it seems as if Emirates have some special relationship with them. I was told to ignore the sign in front of the lounge indicating they reach capacity. On arrival they checked me of some list they had and took me to a table they reserved for me at the far end of the lounge.

3) Around the center of the terminal, driver drops you of right in front of the checking desks. It was only a short walk to security

Is there fast train to London like Heathrow Gatwic express how far by car ?

Thanks

Chauffeur service at Stanstead
 

Did you check the website? Days 50 driven km from STN, Google maps can tell you how far central London is

I have flight booked, and pick up from Bermondsey to STN no problems. Should be fine for Central London

What are the criteria for fast track through security at Stansted? I know you can pay but are there other means like priority pass etc?

Generally speaking or for EK passengers?

The Escape Lounge is awful ..... The Check in staff will tell you, "we are sorry we don't have an EK lounge here in STN" ...... ;)

Everything is quick and efficient in the airport, though..... Fast track etc etc.,

You're better off going to The Camden and grabbing a seat in there, rather than going to the lounge. I have never had any issues with STN, I really like it. Its only 20 minutes from my home, so that has a big impact. Coming in from DXB, I my record aircraft to car (DC) is 10 minutes, most of that is the train from the pier that you arrive in to.

I haven't been through Stansted for about 20 years, ISTR it was back in the Air-UK/KLM-UK days, and even then I can only remember arriving there, not departing. I was more of an LCY/LHR boy back then.

I will be travelling EK in F in ten days, so I thought I'd give Stansted a go as I'm working at Canary Wharf at the moment. My thought process was that the trek to STN is likely to be similar to LHR on the Friday evening rush hour, and I've never tried the 777 new F yet.

The car is planned for 16:30 pickup for the EK68 departing at 20:15 which I assume gives a reasonable level of contingency, and to be clear I'd much rather find myself arriving three hours early twiddling my thumbs than T-45 or even T-60 minutes.

I'm not expecting much from the Escape lounge, so are there any other airside recommendations I should be aware of where I can enjoy a reasonable cocktail or two for example, or is Stansted not really that kind of place? Is there a Caviar House type place? Are there shower facilities in Escape? I'm aware of public shower facilities in STN, but you need to bring your own towel, so I don't think that's my kind of place TBH.

No.

No.

I would suggest your pick up time is too early, I've been booking cars at that time from SW1 which is a much longer drive at rush hour. Stansted isn't the kind of place you want to spend more time than you absolutely have to. But then you'll board EK new F and remember why you decided to trek out to STN.

OK, thank you, that does all sound a bit grim!

I have been through STN in F a number of times, I also worked there for many years.

Firstly there is a Caviar house type place next to Boots, but if the escape lounge isn't great, then there are numerous places to sit and relax. I recommend The Camden as you exit duty free, its on the right.

My plan when I travel from there is to get there as late as possible, normally about an hour prior to departure. There is a new check in area, just opened and its very smart. I then go straight through fast track and I am airside within 15min of arriving. Then straight to the train and get off at the first stop. The 777 always parks at the same gate, 12 I think. Normally I have 10 minutes waiting for boarding to starts and I am on the aircraft about 30mins after arriving. I live 20 miles from STN so its a little easier for me.

Also, STN isn't busy in the evening, it can be very quiet. Enjoy F, its really nice, if not a little lonely and isolated.

I am tempted to change my in bound A380 to the Stansted service a week on Sunday. Currently the A380 I'm on into LHR currently shows four pax allocated seats in F (including me), and nobody on the Stansted EK67 with new F. Given the choice between the two, and that I'm fairly ambivalent about the CD transfer, is there a consensus around new F vs "old" F on A380? Note that the shower aspect isn't a big pull for me, been there and done that, but the bar is.

Personal preference, I suppose. My main priorities are i) privacy and ii) space, both of which new F provides in spades and hence I happily go out of the way to STN to get EK new F. I don't find the EK old F hard product that impressive and never use the bar, so that probably colours my opinion. The only things I don't like about EK new F are i) that it's on a 777 and ii) occasionally I wish it had the shower. Apart from that, the gap between new F and old F is pretty large for my preferences (comparing EK new F to what some other carriers consider 'F' is almost comical).

Canary Wharf to Stansted by car should be about 45 mins as you just get out onto the Aspen Way, A13, A12 then M1 to Stansted. Friday peak hour rush though would see that extended depending on bottlenecks like getting onto the A12 and again onto the M1. Further up the road traffic going onto the M25 can cause the occasional issue but they have their own lanes to block. Your real worry is if there is a breakdown etc, but hopefully your driver knows the back roads that could add 30 mins to your journey. There is an option for example to take the A13 all the way out to the A406 at Beckton and then join the M1 where it meets the A12. Google often says that route is quicker by a minute or two, but it seems more miles.

Just to note: when you get to the escape lounge, don’t be surprised if there is a long queue outside. However, you can walk past everyone queing straight to the front, and they will let you in immediately. Don’t wait in line.

Why should EK passengers jump the queue? I'd say something if somebody tried to jump the queue in front of me just because they were on a particular airline.

EK has an arrangement with Escape whereby a section of the lounge is cordoned off for EK passengers only (and has its own snacks, champagne and waiter service). The capacity rules for the rest of the lounge are therefore separate from the rules for the EK area. Think of it as being like two separate lounges or like there being a business or
first lounge next to each other but which use the same entrance - if the business lounge is full, it doesn’t stop the first customers from going into their lounge or needing to queue unnecessarily.

why would anyone go to that lounge? Grim.

OK - so you're saying that the people "queueing" are actually waiting for room to become available in the lounge rather than just queuing to get their eligibility / BP checked? In that case, fair enough.

There's a similar setup at the Aspire lounge at AMS. Singapore Airlines have part of the lounge cordoned off for part of the day. However, they also have a separate check-in kiosk at the lounge entrance.

In answer to my own question, and a data point, Canary Wharf to Stansted was exactly an hour door to door leaving at 16:20 on Friday. Back to home this evening (SW3) it was 90 minutes.

Stansted is indeed a bit meh, and the lounge experience isn’t the greatest. I spent five minutes in there before going out to try the Not Always Caviar for some caviar, but note they do not serve vodka there.

I also popped by Burger King for some nuggets.

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Exactly. They are queuing for availability/access.

OK. At MAN, they just take your name and number and give you a call when there is room (or say that they are not accepting Priority Pass etc. at that time). People with pre-booked slots or flying business / first are guaranteed entry.

Now that this route has resumed, has anyone flown on it recently? If so, did they have fast track arrivals for F/J passengers?

Yes, did it at the weekend. There is a sign directing EK F/J/status passengers to use the crew lane, which was empty when I arrived and avoided a relatively long queue in the regular immigration lane. EK are using some very nice new check-in desks in a separate area. Fast track security is available for departures and they have the same section of the Escape Lounge at the back reserved for EK customers. Overall it's a pretty good set-up, really, just need EK to decide to invest in a lounge in the empty satellite terminal space. Arriving at STN as an EK customer is actually better than arriving at LHR to me.

That's fantastic to hear - thank you very much for the feedback. I just booked myself on DXB-STN in F so looking forward to a great experience.

I flew STN-HKG-STN via DXB the weekend before lockdown in F for a dining engagement. This sounds like the same setup as then.

Frankly I found STN to be a mediocre experience to say the least.

On the outbound, the main Escape lounge area was crammed, and there was a line of hopefuls to navigate past in order to gain entry. There were no loos in the lounge, so I was directed to the main departure area where the loos were reminiscent of a carpark stairwell. The F&B on offer is lacklustre to say the least. I gave up with the lounge after ten minutes, and parked myself up at Not Always Caviar for some, well, caviar: I think I may have been one of the last, I don't think that outlet is operating any more. Having taken the train to the satellite following the boarding announcement, I then found myself sitting around within the general malaise for half an hour waiting to board, but at least boarding was controlled, but I had managed to find a seat very close to the gate area.

On board was fine, I shared the cabin with one other person, who was in 2K. As I was in 1A, I didn't even realise anyone else was in the cabin until we met each other on the throne bus at DXB: he turned out to be an accountancy student whose father was generously repatriating him by way of first class.

On the inbound, having enjoyed the entire cabin to myself on this occasion, almost all of the benefit of getting off the plane first is lost as you fight to get onto the train to the main terminal. I am sure regulars of STN will know where to stand for expedited egress, I did not. Thankfully immigration was quick and finding my driver was simple, although the journey back to home in SW3 was quite a drag compared to a trip from LHR.

FWIW, I didn't find the game changer seat to be that great for sleeping in. I found one of the other of my legs would fall off the side. I prefer the old suites for sleeping TBH.

My final conclusion was that as exclusive and private as the game changer seat is, I prefer the A380 out of LHR over the 777 game changer out of STN.