STANSTED AIRPORT review : 3 July 2009 by J van Marle

Customer Rating : 3/5

Passed through twice recently, and it's much better than my horror experiences here a few years ago (when the queues for security snaked all the way to the main doors). Arrival a breeze with the automated new chip passport readers. Beware the extra bag volume check by hawk-eyed Ryanair salespeople on quotas just before the Ryanair gates. I'd love airports to offer simple changing booths for gents so that I can change from summer wear to UK-compatible clothes or vice versa without standing in a puddle beside a toilet.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 23 June 2009 by S Blackburn

Customer Rating : 4/5

It's not the best airport in the world but not the worst either. Light and airy with a train station in the basement (and trains which run until 1:30am on a Sunday which I think is reasonable); plenty of shops airside, albeit with a shortage of seating in the main lounge area (fine near the gates); all immigration queues open at 12:30am on a Monday morning - but 20 minute queues nonetheless. The only inexcusable error was a lack of open lanes for security on departure. Stansted Express is great with the Victoria line from Tottenham taking you into central London very quickly - and at comparable prices to the other London airports. Given the number of people it handles and the nature of its main airline customers (who presumably would be happy if there was no investment in the passenger facing facilities at all), it's fine.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 6 June 2009 : by Nick Francis

Customer Rating : 5/5

Regarding several comments about transportation costs to and from Stansted, I've been using the EasyBus for a while now and really can't fault it. Book in advance online and the roundtrip from the terminal to Victoria Station or Baker Street only costs about £10. The journey takes an hour, and if you're delayed/early, the team at the desk will transfer your ticket onto the first available bus. Miles cheaper than the Stansted Express, and a much better drop-off. Strangely, easyJet don't seem to advertise the bus on their website, but you can find it on Google. Highly recommended!

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 23 April 2009 : by Nick Paul

Customer Rating : 4/5

Mid-afternoon departure with Turkish Airlines. Transited from easyJet domestic flight. Bags quickly onbelt, straight to onward check in to drop luggage. Option for buying train ticket for onward travel to central London available at bag claim if needed saving buying outside the airport. Arrivals hall busy but plenty of signs for directions of airline desks. No queues at THY check in. Bags dropped. Staff helpful and polite. Used cafe in airport for light meal - not expensive. Range of options available including bars, snack bars and shops for sandwiches / drinks. Other shops are creeping into the departure halls taking more space though. Some current work to upgrade the facilities evident, but not intrusive and the whole place operating well. No delays at security - straight through to departures - wide choice of eating and shopping. Monorail to gate (which is up escalator) for flight. Further options for drinks / snacks in gate area. Except for airline staff attitude at check-in for return flight which is not under the mandate of the airport, this was another good service from a busy airport.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 17 March 2009 : by M Jerman

Customer Rating : 5/5

I have been using STN now for 4 years and in this four years it has improved from very poor to excellent. I would prefer to use STN over LHR (apart from T5) and over LGW. Security is now a breeze, with many lanes open and never waiting time longer then 15 minutes, even in the busiest times. Both landside and airside have a good variety of retail stores, not as many as LGW or LHR but at the end of the day it is a low cost airport. Satellite 1 and 2 are connected by a train so no need for a long walk and if you are flying on FR walking times are not any longer then at LGW when leaving from furthest gates and certainly much shorter then at some other airports (AMS, CDG etc). Airport itself feels very airy, light and refreshingly new. Arrivals have been done up and now the immigration flows quickly especially if you travel on a new passport with the chip as you can use the automated barriers. It is a shame that it is mostly a low cost airport. STN deserves so much more.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 13 March 2009 : by R Pontida

Customer Rating : 3/5

Nothing especially bad or good about the airport. What I don't like with most London airports is that they're far from the city and transportation costs a lot (and I mean a lot) even when it takes an extremely long time to reach the city centre. This one is no exception. Apart from that, very "low-cost" feeling, not the best airport to wait in, but I had no problems there.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 24 December 2008 : by F Williams

Customer Rating : 4/5

Arrived in STN from Dublin on Ryanair. A bit of a trek to immigration, but ryanair seem to like the far flung, closer to runway gates. Joined the EU/UK queue, and after a minute or so the guy at the desk realised that an ROI flight had landed, stood up, and directed us to a door on the left, where there is no passport control, due to the common travel agreement. All in all from gate to easybus transfer, roughly 25 mins. I can't comment on check in, as I departed on the same day with online check in. Security could have been faster. Quite a long queue, with many scanners not in operation. And then the trek to the gate. All in all a good experience, bar a few little niggles. Transport into London could be a bit cheaper. Easybus cheapest at £13 return, but takes a while. Could do with a few more security staff. Other than that, airport is nice and airy, a welcome change to Dublin's cramped feeling arrivals (low ceiling), and packed departures (even at 0500).

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 11 November 2008 : by Luke Addis

Customer Rating : 3/5

I use Stansted often since for Ryanair it pretty much connects Glasgow Prestwick to the rest of Europe. I have slept in the airport twice now and each time they seems to bump the air conditioning up (In England, Mid October) so that there is a real chill about the place, also a few less armrests on their awful seats wouldn't go amiss. The number of people queuing up for 6am to 8am departures is quite staggering. You build it and they will come. Security Q's are always a bit long and staff abrupt. Airside is typical shops. This airport is clean. Flying back in at 11pm can be a bit hit or miss with runway opening times. My major gripe, and its a major one, is transport costs to and from London center. It is pure madness (though an excellent service) that a one hour plus National Express journey will cost you £10 single. This is one of the priciest airports to get to, and that is a real hindrance - surely some cheaper or more subsidised option could be introduced, easyBus tried in vain to increase competition here but in the end raised their prices to 50p less than Terravision.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 6 November 2008 : by J Bailey

Customer Rating : 2/5

Stansted is always good to arrive into and always bad to leave from. Arriving requires a little bit of a haul to the baggage area but it all works as intended and you can be out quickly. Thumbs up for that. Departure is where the well thought out Stansted plan fails badly. Too many people for the terminal to cope with. The departure area is cluttered with too many shops and check in is too close to the doors leading to jostling crowds. Very bad. Then security is almost always under-manned leading to long queues. There is no excuse for this the process here is broken and is down right annoying. Once you get through the same problem exists as outside. Crowded inadequate waiting area with far too few eating options Again Bad. So arrive at Stansted and leave from somewhere else is my advice

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 7 October 2008 : by C Mackay

Customer Rating : 3/5

I think that it has all been said before, but lets compare the recent experience at Stansted with Tenerife airport Long queues at Security at Stansted with security staff rather harassed. At Tenerife much more efficient. Took about a quarter of the time to get through. Outside Tenerife airport fleet of Taxis waiting, you just hop on, at Stansted you have to go to a desk and order one, then wait for it to turn up. Cost of food and drink at Stansted way in excess of Tenerife prices. I could go on but you have got the message. I have found the same at Malaga airport, the Spanish just seem to do it better.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 15 September 2008 : by Robert Bushby

Customer Rating : 4/5

Judging by previous comments the Stansted experience seems to boil down to timing and perhaps just luck and mine held for a 0645 flight out on a Mon and a return on Fri Sep at 1255. I was fortunate in that I had a lift to the airport so there were no parking issues and arriving at 0520 I was air- side at 0600 ready to board. Coming back I was through passport control (note though I went to the far left where queues were definitely shorter rather than just joining the ones seen straight ahead from the shuttle-train doors), reunited with my bags and starting home by 1330.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 2 August 2008 : by R Hopkins

Customer Rating : 2/5

What can be said that hasn’t already been said? There’s always a worrying wait for the car park bus, then a long journey. If you’ve not done it yet, allow 40 minutes in case you’ve just missed a bus. Exit signs out of the car-park are inadequate, even when it’s an airport you know. Outbound journey was delayed on 29.07, so there was a gate change and inevitable rush to join the new queue, not popular with ‘first come, first board’ airline passengers. The return journey was also delayed, resulting in a half hour wait on the tarmac. If the passengers knew what time the rescheduled landing was, it’s a bit worrying that Stansted didn’t and so did not have ground staff available. What if there had been an emergency? It can be no surprise to the airport authorities to find a plane has landed. Just hope it’s not two at once that are late which, given that the delays were attributed to air traffic control, seems pretty likely. Passport control is an utter insult, with a scrum to join the queues while non EU citizens get through with little delay. There are no toilets in the area, which is also a disgrace after delays. Avoid the toilets in the baggage area! The ladies’ toilet stank of urine and the cubicles are tiny, even for a fairly small adult. Once through passport control without luggage, it’s a matter of luck how long it takes to get to your car. Last night (31.7.08) it was a fairly typical one and quarter hours from landing to car, longer than it took to drive the 60 miles home. Stansted expand? It can’t cope now, so forget it.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 28 June 2008 : by W Robinson

Customer Rating : 4/5

I was pleasantly surprised that for our journey to and from Stansted, how well everything went. I found it superior to Heathrow. Security fine, immigration fine, and airport facilities were good. My expectations weren't high, but really, there was nothing I could complain about.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 27 June 2008 : by G McNab

Customer Rating : 4/5

I was surprised to get through Stansted security into the departures lounge in about ten minutes flat. There seemed to be more scanners working and staff ensured the passengers were divided up between those open. Thankfully I did not have to take my shoes or belt off either so I found myself airside without the ordeal I remembered from a previous visit. It is worth noting Boots the chemist has a retail outlet airside as well as landside and both have the ‘Meal Deal’ at the food section. One can pick a snack, a sandwich, wrap or salad plus a drink for £3.49 which is much cheaper than many of the other airside outlets. The gents toilets could maybe do with a bit more cleaning but all in all it was a nice easy journey through the airport.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 10 June 2008 : by Alasdair Brooks

Customer Rating : 3/5

While hardly the best or most exciting airport in the world, as a local resident (I live 15 minutes away by train or bus) I find it perfectly adequate, even while hoping - as someone who lives under the flight path - that it doesn't expand further. Yes, it looks a bit like a permanent construction site on the inside, and yes it can be crowded, but I prefer it to Heathrow. On the other hand, I never use Ryan Air or Easy Jet (my last flight from STN was on Turkish), so maybe this helps. I've never had a problem with immigration or security, and I even like the little trains from the main terminal to the gates. Stansted is nothing special; there are better airports in Europe, and it can't hold a candle to the major Asian airports, but it's certainly better than most American airports of similar size.

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 3 June 2008 : by Antony Barker

Customer Rating : 1/5

Arrived back in UK on Friday afternoon and was met with a huge amount of people waiting to go through the UK/EU passport control. Joined a queue and waited my turn. Noticed that the queue to my right, the first queue nearest the 'Other than UK/EU passport holders' was progressing much quicker. When I eventually got to the desk I noticed that the queue to my right was being handled by three immigration officers whereas the rest of the queues were handled by one. When I mentioned this to the official on the desk was met with rude, arrogant, unhelpful reply. (Great to be back in UK!). Why does Stansted airport treat UK/EU passport holders so poorly whereas the rest of the world go through immigration quickly with minimal delays? Will certainly look to use airports, other than Stansted, in the future. Immigration at Stansted is one big let down!

STANSTED AIRPORT review : 6 May 2008 : by J Day

Customer Rating : 1/5

Until recently, Stansted airport has offered a reasonable arrival experience. Now however, it has become a nightmare! Going through passport control recently took me two hours (at 11:30pm!), and a few weeks later, an hour and a half (also in the evening). We were herded like cattle, standing shoulder to shoulder in a cramped and badly ventilated area, with queues and staff moving at snails pace. Avoid it at all costs!

Stansted Airport review by R Hopkins

8 April 2008  Customer Rating :

Stansted travelling to Dublin. A worryingly long wait for the transfer coach, even by STN usual standards. Check-in queue very slow, but security went smoothly. As so often, there was virtually no shopping time and the gate number changed. However, as frequent travellers, this was no surprise. The return journey from Dublin made a pleasant change, as there weren't the same immigration formalities. I'm not sure that this is actually the right thing, however, in the current climate. The return coach transfer was a bit quicker than on recent occasions.

Stansted Airport review by Gavin Stewart

22 March 2008  Customer Rating :

Second time through Stansted, and again I had big trouble with the pick-up procedure at Arrivals. For a first timer, you will need to keep your wits about you. After collecting your bags, you face a very, very long trip to retrieve your car from the Long stay. Expect your wife and kids to wait a good 45 minutes for you to return. The problem is, the pick up point is effectively outdoors and your companions may freeze to death waiting for you. But if they wait in the terminal, how are you going to find each other once you return etc.? In practice, you have to negotiate some confusing signage to find the 15 minute pick up zone, amongst many similar zones. Choose the wrong one and you've got another lap to do. Once parked, sprint as fast as you can to find your companions in the airport - the clock is ticking. Sprint back down again with all your trolleys, then the next challenge is to find your car. Stansted offers you a number of exit points, all designed identically and impossible to distinguish from each other. You will come out at the wrong one, the coaches, Zone XX, eventually you find your car. Load up as fast as you can, and sprint back to the ticket machine before the 15 minutes expires. If you're lucky, you will make it. If you're unlucky, the queue at the ticket machine will be too long. And the object of all this? Is to obtain £1 from you.

Stansted Airport review by Francesco Gherardi

20 March 2008  Customer Rating :

I usually use Stansted to go in London because there is a cheap flight from my city (Forlì). But to be honest , Stansted is not really a confortable airport - it's far from the city (45 minutes by train) and the organization of the staff isn't one of the best. The baggage check out is so long.

Stansted Airport review by S Gaudicheau

19 February 2008  Customer Rating :

I was surprised how smooth my arrival was at STN. I think that coming before 7am might help. The shuttle train brings you to emigration, I was the 3rd one in line for EU passport holders and off I went into the Stansted Express. Impossible to miss from the arrival area.I admit that the train is old but it does its job leaving and coming on time and that's all I'm asking.I left London pretty late the same day and I was just on time even if there was a long queue at the security and now there is a second shoes control. I really can't complain but I might have been lucky twice the same day, so for me 3 stars.

Stansted Airport review by D Burkett

31 January 2008  Customer Rating :

I use the Stansted Express every day, as I work at STN - in cargo I might add. What strikes me is how embarrassing it can make me feel when visitors to the UK get on an ageing, dirty train and have to pay an extortionate fare to travel less than 50 miles to London. The platform escalators are frequently broken. There seems to be large puddles forming everywhere lately, as a result there are cones placed all over the place - just in case you couldn't see the small lake forming in front of you! The platforms, seating and decor are grubby and there is a distinct lack of information screens. The station feels like a multi-storey car park! Come on STN and Stansted Express. I am lucky as an airport worker that I get discounted travel, but even what I pay seems a lot - fix the leaks, clean the place up, buy some new trains and charge a realistic fare! It is embarrassing that hundreds of thousands of visitors' first experience of our country is of a badly run, badly maintained service that costs a fortune!

Stansted Airport review by James Lewis

29 January 2008  Customer Rating :

NotHad the misfortune to fly from STN yesterday. Only 10 minutes to check in, but 40 minutes in the security queue. Pity the people in front of me, whose small son needed the toilet. Half the X-ray machines were unmanned, although there were some security staff hanging around with nothing better to do. Didn't have time to complain, so straight to Pret for inflight sandwiches, no time for shopping. Another disaster area: they only had two left, and obviously the staff couldn't care less about restocking. "We'll try and get some sent over, if you'll wait" one said, in an effort to be halfway helpful. Hello! This is an airport; people haven't got time to hang around, especially after 40 minutes at security. One star? Minus several hundred stars!

Stansted Airport review by Ciaran McCafferty

29 January 2008  Customer Rating :

I've passed through Stansted on a number of occasions over the past few months, usually on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings, and typically returning on Sunday evenings or nights. Stansted Express is pretty dreadful, with about 1 in 4 journeys running to the timetable suggested, and the trains themselves are old although usually clean. I tend to use online check in and travel with hand luggage, so I can avoid the snaking queues for check-in and head straight for security. My general impression is that this is improving, I would say 10-15 minutes is the typical wait I have endured, which is acceptable to me. Airside there is little to do, but the concourses are kept reasonably clean. Returning from the UK or Ireland to Stansted means that passport control thankfully does not apply; the queues for the border posts are invariably thronged on a Sunday evening. Overall, I would say STN is just about keeping its head above water; hopefully the extension will provide some relief.

Stansted Airport review by Charles King

22 January 2008  Customer Rating :

Not a pleasant experience. The main problem with STN is that it is running way over its capacity, with the airport running out of places to sit down even on a (presumably relatively quiet) mid Friday afternoon in January. What it must be like at peak times, I dread to think. However, it did take only about 15 minutes to get through security outbound. Note that once in the main terminal, you can't go to use the lounges (which are in satellite 1) unless your flight is departing from those gates as there is no way to return to the main departure hall (so e.g. Priority Pass is useless). On return at 10.30 Sun night, having sprinted past other passengers on our flight and on others, we were held for about 3 minutes in the previously mentioned corridor before we could join the queues to get through customs. It took us about 25 minutes to get to the front of these queues despite all available desks being open. Presumably those behind us were still stuck in the corridor. Then went straight down to the Stansted Express. This did run on time, but the train was filthy, seats were missing etc. I felt quite ashamed that this is some visitors' first view of Britain.

Stansted Airport review by Anthony McElligott

15 January 2008  Customer Rating :

I travelled through Stansted yesterday - arriving early morning from Shannon and leaving later that day for Berlin. The airport is still a mess, tacky and over priced; the security is petty minded and downright punitive. I don't carry luggage so I was not affected; but I noted how security at the entrance to screening were weighing bags on little scales to ensure they were all exactly under 10kgs, and if so, then measured them! Dozens of irate and confused customers were being sent back to check-in - where, as some protested, their bags had been previously cleared to go as cabin luggage. Who decides these rules? The connection from the airport into London was a complete shambles: the cost of a cheap day return to Liverpool St was £17.40 but the train only ran as far as Tottenham Hale where I had to change on the underground at an extra cost. The underground itself was not functioning due to engineering works. Thankfully my friends drove me back to the airport later. By contrast, Schoenefeld is well-run and clean; security is discreet and transport into the city costs just 2.10€ single for roughly the same length of journey as Stansted to L'pool Street and runs late into the night.

Stansted Airport review by Katherine Prior

23 November 2007  Customer Rating :

I was disapointed first at the filthy, rundown state of the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street Station and then on arrival, at the very grotty condition of the women's loos. Several of the doors did not shut, loo seats were missing, and, most extraordinary of all, only one out of about six or seven taps was working. Having finished queuing for a tap, I then had to queue 25 minutes to get through security. (My recent experiences at Heathrow 3 have been queuing times of less than 10 minutes.) There were unmanned x-ray machines and apparently unoccupied staff, and those staff who were on duty seemed exceptionally poorly trained in knowing how to cope with pushchairs. They need a dedicated queue for pushchairs, wheelchair users and other mobility impaired people, and late boarders, so that the regular queues are not repeatedly held up by someone rushing through at the last minute or by some poor parent trying to wrestle with babies, bags, toys, coats, pushchairs and plastic bags of liquids, whilst also having to sample pots and bottles of babyfood!

Stansted Airport review by Matt Battersby

14 November 2007  Customer Rating :

For once, a reasonable experience at Stansted - a rarity these days. Outbound can't blame BAA on ridiculous queue for American Airlines check in; security quick and not too surly. Gate lounge space bit small for full 767. Return passport control very quiet at 10am with all desks fully manned.

Stansted Airport review by G McNab

9 November 2007  Customer Rating :

Poor old Stansted. Once a shining example of an efficient, functional airport now a victim of it's own success. Even at 15.30 the queues for security were enormous. From joining the queue to reaching the x-ray machine took me 46 minutes. I timed it. Some queues seemed to have two x-ray machines and move slightly quicker. Mine had only one. I don't think anyone objects to security in this day and age but it is frustrating to queue for so long and then see so many unmanned machines.

Stansted Airport review by Simon Rickman

1 November 2007  Customer Rating :

Travelling to Dublin with Ryanair, took over 45 minutes to get through security. At peak time, nearly 200 people in each queue, plenty of empty x-ray machines ready to use and alleviate the problem. Plenty of BAA staff standing around having a chat, maybe off duty but go and have a party somewhere else it does not leave a good impression. No attempt to get people through who have a flight boarding soon, no announcements, everyone in the queue moaning. Need more staff, not more shops - absolutely terrible service from BAA, took me the same amount of time to get through security as it did to drive from home. Will not fly from Stansted again, which is a shame as it is a beautiful airport, just run like a shambles.

Stansted Airport review by Paul Smith

1 November 2007  Customer Rating :

This airport is getting worse and worse. Returned from Szczecin on Sunday afternoon only to be held in the walkways and tunnels while waiting for passport control. Very humid and crowded with very little control. Constant messages stating that waiting in the corridors helps the arrivals process. How can waiting in a humid corridor help the process?? It just makes people stressed, tired and angry. When we finally arrived on the upper levels where the security checks are, only half of the stations were manned. This is clearly not an acceptable situation BAA. Our London airports are becoming more of an embarassment to our country. As for the 'tougher' checks on the passports, the lady who checked ours gave it a quick scan, checked my photo and gave me it back. Considering how quick they look at the passport, a fully manned passport control would easily improve the speed at which people can get through security. We are constantly paying more airport taxes, the least we can expect is to see some improvement for our money.

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