It’s been a while since we last flew from Stansted Airport. Our switch to cruising means we’ve taken a lot fewer city breaks and a lot more inter-continental flights – which involves more trips to the major London airports, Heathrow or Gatwick.
But we’re heading to Łódź in Poland for the final date of the Hollywood Vampires European tour. And given that Ryanair is the only airline that flies directly to the city, we’re back at Stansted.
Parking at Stansted
Like everything at Stansted Airport, there’s always something slightly better for a little more money. You can avoid the transfer bus by upgrading from the Mid Stay Car Park to the Blue Short Stay Car park. And you can reduce the walk to the terminal slightly by upgrading to the Green Multi-storey parking.
This is our first trip with Linda’s new wheelchair, so we’re still experimenting. Rather than try and board transfer buses or navigate the unpredictable walk from the Blue Car Park I have upgraded us to the Short Stay Orange option.
Top tip: Use the code HELLO-STN to get up to 25% off your official Stansted Airport parking
Located right next to the National Express coach station, it’s a very short walk from the disabled spaces to the terminal proper. One short ride in an elevator and we’re standing in the Departures part of the Terminal.
Orange Short Stay Parking is expensive (all parking at Stansted Airport is expensive) but the convenience is appreciated.
Top tip: Pre-booking parking is not only cheaper, it also guarantees a space in your chosen car park. If you rock up on the day without pre-booking, red the signs at the entrance to each car park before pulling up to the barrier and embarrassing yourself (and inconveniencing everyone else) when you have to try and reverse back through a queue of waiting cars.
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Stansted security
Stansted security has historically been the very worst part of any trip. The installation of the all new CAT scanners is a game changer however. Yes, there are still queues and yes, people still ignore the instructions that will get them through the process quickly, but everything seems to be just that little bit smoother.
I check the stats as I wait for our suitcases and note that the security team is well behind target – only achieving two-thirds of their hourly throughput. However, the queue does move quite well. Despite a full departures board, Stansted just doesn’t feel as busy as normal.
In terms of accessibility, we’re funnelled to a wider security gate at the very far left of the building, just below the number 2 in the map below:
The security team are quite helpful and unusually cheerful. Congratulations to the Stansted management for finally sorting out this aspect of the terminal.
You can learn more about how to navigate Stansted Security seamlessly in our complete guide:
Note that once you have cleared security, you still need to make the endless looping trek through all the shops to get the actual departure gates. This is unlikely to change even after the Stansted upgrade works are completed.
To the gate
Our plane leaves from Gate 44 which is handy – no need to board the train to either of the satellite terminals. However, it does involve taking an elevator back down to ground level, walking under the road, then riding a lift back to the departure level.
The lifts are surprisingly small and there are queues at each. Worse still, the “up” escalator is out of order, so a lot of people are trying to dodge the stairs.
This part of the terminal is looking quite battered now and the toilets stink of piss – probably something to do with the non-flushing urinals. Hopefully MAG gives the rest of the airport a spruce-up as they construct the new arrivals building because it’s embarrassingly bad at the moment.
At the gate
Everything has been quite smooth right up until the point of boarding. After scanning passports and boarding passes, we are directed to the waiting accessibility team who are expecting us.
Unfortunately, the team are also expecting a “pink slip” which I do not have. Apparently we are supposed to have checked in at the Accessibility Counter back before security where they re-copy all of the accessibility information I have already submitted to the airline.
One of the young men disappears to collect the relevant paperwork while we wait by the lift. Eventually he comes back with the pink slip, sully completed, and takes us out to the plane.
Again, the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. We have been delightfully surprised by the lack of aggro we have come to expect from this particular airport.
Top tip: If you are travelling with a scooter or wheelchair, make sure you check-in at the Accessibility Counter before proceeding through security. You must do this, even if you have already informed the airline about your mobility devices.
Next stop, Łódź…
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