Stansted Airport London: A Guide for Independent Travelers

Of the London airports, Stansted Airport is the furthest from central London, at almost 40 miles. The airport is dominated by low-cost airlines and in particular Ryanair and easyJet, the largest low-cost airlines in Europe.

The vast majority of flights are European or British domestic flights.
The airport also has significant charter traffic, especially for Brits traveling on package tours in the sun.
Major intercontinental and state airlines such as British Airways, Virgin, American and Singapore Airlines use London Heathrow or Gatwick airports.

The airport is an established airport, but it was relaunched 15 years ago with a new terminal and infrastructure, including a direct rail link and motorway to London. At first it was a white elephant, but the emergence of low-cost airlines has transformed Stansted into one of the fastest growing airports in Europe in the last decade.
Today, the full capacity of the main terminal is in sight and a new terminal and later a second runway are planned.

There are no surprises with the terminal itself, all the standard facilities are in place, including the choice of currency exchange, pharmacies, newsagents, etc. There is a good variety of dining opportunities ranging from fast food and pub food to sit-down restaurants. Like all airports managed by BAA, the owner, there are many luxury shops. But remember, the vast majority of flights from Stansted are within the EEC and do not qualify for duty-free status.

Normally it takes around 30 minutes from landing to clearing customs with most flights if you have luggage. There is an airport information desk immediately outside customs and a desk for AirportCarz, which has a monopoly on taxi services at the airport. Only a small minority of passengers use a taxi to London due to the distance and cost.

If your destination is London, the fastest option is to take the Stansted Express train. The train station is below the terminal, so you simply descend to the platforms via escalators or elevators.
The Stansted Express takes 45 minutes to reach London’s Liverpool Street Station and runs every 15 minutes during the day. The last trains leave around midnight. Stansted Express fares are expensive, over $ 40 for a round-trip fare. The Liverpool Street terminal is also not very convenient for most travelers, as it is located in the center of London’s financial district, 3-5 miles from most popular hotels. The train stops at an intermediate stop called Tottenham Hale, 10 minutes before Liverpool Street, an interchange with the London Underground (Victoria line).
Many of the airlines will sell Stansted Express tickets, some at a discount, before landing at Stansted Airport.

Your inexpensive London transfer option is to take one of four scheduled coach services run by National Express and Terravision. There is a large and modern bus station in front of the terminal, adjacent to the train station.

The cheapest option is the Terravision service to Liverpool Street station, the same route as the Stansted Express. The price is about half that of the Stansted Express train. The downside, like all road transfers, is London traffic, on a good day the bus will do it in about an hour. National Express services run approximately every 30 minutes to the nearby Stratford Tube at a similar price.

The other route that coaches take is Stansted to London Victoria. Both have round-trip fares of around $ 25. The Terravision service is non-stop, the National Express service makes stops in central London, many of them close to the main hotel districts. The National Express service is a true 24×7 service, the Terravision service only stops a couple of hours early in the morning. Some of the highest frequencies are around midnight Stansted-London and very early morning London-Stansted for the first and last flights when the Stansted Express and London Underground have closed.

Due to the sometimes extraordinarily cheap fares from Ryanair and easyJet, many transcontinental travelers have found it cheaper to fly to Heathrow and then complete their journey to their European destination using a low-cost Stansted airline.
National Express provides transport services between Heathrow and Stansted from Stansted Bus Station. There are usually a couple of services per hour and the journey takes about 90 minutes (although delays on the highway are almost common at peak times). The fare is not cheap either. The return fee is approximately $ 50. It is cheaper to use the indirect National Express service to Stratford and then take the London Underground to Heathrow, but less comfortable.

If you want to stay at Stansted Airport before a flight, there are many options available. Like all airport hotels in London, room rates are usually much cheaper on weekends than mid-week. If you are in transit from Heathrow or Gatwick, which have much fiercer competition, you will probably find more expensive fares in Stansted, particularly in the economy sector.

Immediately adjacent to the terminal is the luxurious Stansted Radisson SAS, the only airport hotel where you don’t need a hotel transfer vehicle. This is perhaps the most luxurious hotel and on weekends the rates can be quite competitive. The original luxury hotel in Stansted is the 4-star Hilton hotel on the perimeter of the airport. The Hilton Stansted runs its own shuttle bus from the bus station approximately every 30 minutes.
In the vicinity of the airport there is an Express by Holiday Inn and a Best Western. The cheapest option is the Days Inn in a freeway service area at the entrance to Stansted Airport. It does not offer any airport transfer service, although of course there are taxis and a local bus service.
Apart from the chains, there are many independent hotels in the vicinity. These have hotels for all budgets and tastes, ranging from country hotels to pubs and traditional Bed and Breakfasts. The countryside around Stansted is surprisingly unspoiled and there is the opportunity to stay in a traditional market town or an inn, for example.