Published 26 October 2026 | Updated 26 October 2026 by Kate Acaster
There is one Stansted airport terminal. Every airline checks in under the same roof, and the train station sits beneath it. Express Set Down charges £10 for 15 minutes and £28 for longer. The airport’s Mid Stay car park lets you drop off free for 60 minutes, with a shuttle bus to the terminal.
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Which Stansted airport terminal do you need?
The one. The Stansted Express site calls Stansted a single-terminal airport, and the airport’s pages talk about “the terminal building”. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI all appear on the airport’s airline contact list. What changes by airline is when the check-in desks open. The airport also says to head through security once you’ve checked in.
| Airline | Desks open before departure |
|---|---|
| Emirates | 4 hours |
| Jet2, TUI and AJet | 3 hours |
| Ryanair, international flights | 3 hours |
| easyJet and Ryanair, domestic flights | 2 hours |
| All other airlines | 2 hours |
Our guides to how early to arrive at the airport and whether airport fast track is worth it cover the rest. Stansted sells its own Security FastTrack from £6.49 a person, open 04:00 to 20:00.
Stansted drop-off charges
Express Set Down is the drop-off area outside the terminal. There are no barriers. Cameras read your number plate, and you pay online or by phone on 03450 175046 by midnight the day after you visit. The airport doesn’t take cash.
| What the airport charges | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 minutes | £10 |
| Over 15 minutes | £28 |
| Re-entering within 30 minutes | £28 |
| Maximum stay | 30 minutes |
Miss the deadline and the registered keeper gets a £100 Parking Charge Notice, cut to £60 if paid within 14 days. Blue Badge holders have to pay too, but if you need longer than 15 minutes you can speak to a traffic marshal. You can also set up an AutoPay account to pay automatically.
Free and cheaper ways to drop off
One option is free. Mid Stay lets you pick up or drop off for 60 minutes at no charge, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal. The second hour is £5. The Green and Blue Short Stay car parks charge £13 for up to 30 minutes, which beats the £28 kerb charge if you need more than 15 minutes, though not the £10. They are within walking distance, with no transfer bus.
| Where | What it costs | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Express Set Down | £10 up to 15 minutes, £28 over | Drop-off only. Maximum stay 30 minutes. |
| Short Stay, Green and Blue | £13 to 30 minutes, £21 to 1 hour, £25 to 2 hours, £38 to 4 hours | Pick-up and drop-off are allowed in these two Short Stay car parks only. |
| Mid Stay | Free for 60 minutes, then £5 for the next hour. A day rate applies after 2 hours | Free shuttle bus to the terminal. Re-entering within 1 hour of first entering costs £48. |
Short Stay Green, a multi-storey, is 5 to 8 minutes away.
Express Set Down is drop-off only. For pick-ups, use Mid Stay or one of the two Short Stay car parks. Mid Stay’s free hour covers a pick-up if the flight is on time. After 60 minutes it’s £5 for the second hour, then the day rate.
Stansted airport parking prices if you turn up
Turn Up and Park is the no-booking option. It costs £70 for each 24 hours in the Blue and Green Short Stay car parks and £48 in Mid Stay. The airport warns that spaces are limited and prices are higher than booking ahead. Our guide to booking airport parking in advance explains the gap.
| Car park | Turn up per 24 hours | Pre-book from | To the terminal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Stay Blue | £70 | £97.99 (7 days) | 10 to 12 minutes |
| Short Stay Green | £70 | £89.99 (6 days) | 5 to 8 minutes |
| Short Stay Premium Red and Yellow | Pre-book | £87 (4 days) | 1 to 4 minutes |
| Short Stay Premium Orange | Pre-book | £89 (5 days) | 1 to 4 minutes |
| Mid Stay | £48 | £69.99 (8 days) | 7 minute free shuttle |
| Long Stay | Pre-book | £49.99 (8 days) | 15 minute free shuttle |
The gap is wide. Eight days at the Mid Stay turn-up rate would cost £384, against £69.99 for an eight-day pre-booked stay in January 2027, the airport’s own example. Pre-booked Mid Stay has a three-day minimum, subject to availability. Long Stay and the Premium car parks are pre-book only.
Getting to Stansted by train
Stansted Express runs to the airport from Liverpool Street, Tottenham Hale and Stratford. The station is directly beneath the terminal building, with lifts, escalators and step-free access. Trains run seven days a week, every 15 to 30 minutes depending on station and time, the airport says.
| From | Journey time | Connects to |
|---|---|---|
| London Liverpool Street | About 48 minutes | Central, Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City and Elizabeth lines |
| Tottenham Hale | About 36 minutes | Victoria line |
| Stratford | About 1 hour | Jubilee, Central and DLR lines |
Advance returns start from £19.80, according to the airport.
You can pay by contactless bank card, but buy a valid ticket before you board. Oyster cards aren’t valid to or from the airport, though you can use Oyster for onward journeys from Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale. The first train from Liverpool Street leaves between 03:40 and 04:40 depending on the day, and the last at 23:21. From the airport, trains start around 05:30 (05:55 Tuesday to Thursday) and the last leaves at 00:30.
Getting to Stansted by coach
The bus and coach station is a two-minute walk from the terminal. Flibco runs every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, to Liverpool Street, Stratford and Finsbury Park. National Express runs routes to Tottenham Hale, Victoria, Liverpool Street and other central stops. Both are on the airport’s coach travel page, which doesn’t print fares, so check the operators. Our guide to whether you need to book an airport transfer in advance has more.
“The catch at Express Set Down is that there’s no barrier and no machine, so nothing stops you driving off without paying. A camera reads your plate, and forget by midnight the next day and the bill is £100, or £60 if you settle within 14 days. If you’re not sure you’ll manage 15 minutes, take the Mid Stay free hour instead.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
What to check before you set off
- Check when your airline’s desks open. It’s 2 hours for most, 3 for Ryanair international, Jet2, TUI and AJet, and 4 for Emirates.
- Pay any Express Set Down charge by midnight the day after, or use AutoPay.
- Pre-book parking. An eight-day Mid Stay is from £69.99 pre-booked (a January 2027 example) against £384 on the turn-up rate.
- Buy a Stansted Express ticket before you board. Oyster cards aren’t valid to or from the airport.
Charges, car park prices and train times come from Stansted Airport’s own pages, read on 26 October 2026. They change, so check before you travel. Flying from the other side of London? Our Gatwick terminals guide covers that airport.
Stansted Airport Terminal FAQs
How many terminals does Stansted have?
One. The train station, the coach station and the car parks all serve that single building.
Which terminal do Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 use at Stansted?
All three use the same terminal, because Stansted has only one. They set their own check-in times. Desks open 3 hours before departure for Jet2 and for Ryanair’s international flights, and 2 hours for easyJet.
How much is drop-off at Stansted Airport?
£10 for up to 15 minutes at Express Set Down and £28 for longer. The maximum stay is 30 minutes. You pay online or by phone by midnight the day after your visit.
Is there free drop-off at Stansted?
Yes, at the Mid Stay car park. You can pick up or drop off there for up to 60 minutes free, then it’s £5 for the second hour, with a free shuttle bus to the terminal. Re-entering within an hour costs £48.
What happens if I don’t pay the Stansted drop-off charge?
The registered keeper gets a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. The payment deadline is midnight the day after your visit.
How long does the Stansted Express take?
About 48 minutes from London Liverpool Street, about 36 minutes from Tottenham Hale and about an hour from Stratford, according to the airport. Advance singles start from about £9.90.
Can I use an Oyster card to get to Stansted Airport?
No. Oyster cards aren’t valid on trains to or from the airport. Contactless bank cards work on the Express, and Oyster works for onward journeys once you reach Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
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