Stansted Airport

Stansted Airport Parking Options

There are over 35,000 car parking spaces at Stansted Airport, which is more than enough to keep travellers happy at London’s third-busiest airport.

If you’re one of the millions of annual passengers looking for Stansted Airport parking, use our search function and see what’s available. You can typically find options such as:

Official Options

Official parking options are all provided by the airport. They are the closest and most convenient, but they also tend to be the most expensive.

Short Stay

Made for trips of just 1 or 2 days, Short Stay parking at Stansted Airport is one of the quickest ways to reach the terminal. Depending on the zone you pick, it’ll take you anywhere between 1 and 10 minutes to walk to the terminal.

The actual Short Stay car park is safe, secure, and monitored by 24/7 CCTV and staff patrols. You find your own place and keep your keys, so your car will be waiting for you when you return.

Meet & Greet

Traveling is rarely a hassle-free experience. You spend weeks planning, and yet you still rush around like crazy at the final minute. You create an itinerary, check it five times, and immediately worry that you’ve left the oven on an hour into your journey. And that’s before you consider all the luggage you’ll need to carry around, the security checks you must complete, and the driving, flying, and waiting around.

Stansted’s Meet & Greet can help you to avoid some of this hassle and make at least one part of your trip more manageable.

Simply arrive in one of the parking bays and then hand over your keys to one of the valets. They are highly trained and fully insured and will take your car to a well-lit and tightly secured car park complete with CCTV, fencing, and floodlights.

You’ll only be a two-minute walk from the terminal when you choose this option. It’s ideal if you have a lot of luggage, several children/elderly travellers, or you just want the easiest experience possible.

Mid Stay

Mid Stay car parking at Stansted Airport is best for stays of up to 7 days. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are used at the entrance to detect your number plate and compare it to your booking.

It means you can just book online, drive into the car park, and then find your spot. Keep your keys and head for a nearby bus stop. There are shuttle buses every 10 minutes and these take about 7 minutes to take you to the airport.

Stansted Airport’s Mid Stay is Park Mark certified, so your car will be secure throughout your trip.

Long Stay

Long Stay at Stansted Airport is best suited for trips of 2 weeks or longer. It uses ANPR for easy entry and exit. You can drive into a spot, grab your luggage, and then pocket your keys as you wait for the shuttle bus.

The Long Stay parking is Park Mark certified and the buses take about 15 minutes to reach the terminal. They also arrive in 15-minute intervals. The buses are comfortable and are more than capable of accommodating your luggage, so while Long Stay involves some extra steps and requires a little more time than some other options, it’s a great low-cost way to fly out of Stansted Airport.

Unofficial Options

Also known as off-site parking, unofficial parking is provided by third-party operators. They are still reputable and they offer many of the same features outlined above. The difference is that the car parks tend to be further away and the services are usually cheaper.

I Love Park & Ride

I Love Park & Ride is about a mile away from the terminal. Just park inside the secure car park, grab your luggage, and wait for a bus. You will be dropped off right outside the terminal, allowing you to start your journey.

The car parks have Park Mark accreditations, so they are just as secure as the official ones and your vehicle should be safe here.

APH Stansted Park & Ride

APH’s Stansted Park & Ride is actually provided in partnership with I Love Park & Ride, mentioned above. It’s an off-airport car park that’s regularly checked and monitored and promises to keep your vehicle safe and your travel time short.

I Love Meet & Greet Valet

I Love Meet & Greet Valet is a convenient service that meets travellers on the airport forecourt and takes all the stress of finding parking spaces away.

Just hand over your keys and start your journey. The Meet & Greet team will park your car in a secure car park and ensure that it is safe and monitored throughout your holiday. When you return, simply meet them, get your keys, and hop in your car.

APH Meet & Greet

Another Meet & Greet service for travellers who value convenience. Not only is it a good option for travellers with young children or elderly relatives, as well as those who can’t walk long distances, but it’s also good for travellers who just want the shortest trip possible. It takes just a couple of minutes to get to the terminal and start the check-in process after handing over your keys.

JetParks

JetParks is an automated car parking option that runs on ANPR. It will instantly recognise who you are when you enter and leave, so you don’t need to worry about checking in or finding a specific place and can just park, collect your luggage, and then wait for a bus to pick you up.

*We've included this list of parking options available at Stansted Airport for information only. The products mentioned are not necessarily available for purchase through CheapAirportParking.co.uk

Stansted Parking Cheap

Car Park	Total Price (8 Days)	Price Per Day
Official Long Stay Car Park	£63.99	£7.11
Official Mid Stay Car Park	£69.99	£7.78
I Love Park & Ride	£70	£7.78
APH Park & Ride	£73.50	£8.17
Official Meet & Greet	£89	£9.89
Offical Short Stay Blue Zone	£96.99	£10.78
I Love Meet & Greet	£100	£11.11
Official Short Stay Multi-Strorey	£101.99	£11.33
APH Meet & Greet	£105.07	£11.67

The prices in the table above were generated by CheapAirportParking.co.uk.

The quote is for the cheapest 8-day period at Stansted Airport in January 2025. The dates for the search are 08/01/25 to 16/01/25.

Please note: CheapAirportParking.co.uk returns live prices that change regularly due to price adjustments by the suppliers we work with and their availability. Therefore, it’s important that you understand that the above prices are provided for illustrative purposes only to give you an indication of a likely price at an option we offer in our database. You must not rely upon the prices in our table and for up-to-date pricing, you should run a search.

Stansted Airport Information

Stansted Airport opened in the summer of 1943, and like many UK airports, it played a major role during the Second World War when it was used by both the British and US air forces. In the immediate years after the war, it was used as a storage unit and then somewhere to house prisoners of war.

By the 1950s, Stansted Airport was being used by UK charter airlines.

Today, Stansted Airport is home to a number of airlines and runs regular passenger and cargo flights to destinations all over the world.

Ryanair is one of the busiest airlines at Stansted Airport and Dublin is its busiest route. It also takes passengers everywhere from Aalborg in Denmark to Zaragoza in Spain. It also has a handful of seasonal flights, such as Zakynthos in Greece, Ibiza in Spain, and Rimini in Italy.

Other airlines operating here include:

easyJet (Amsterdam, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow) Jet2 (Alicante, Prague, Tenerife, Santorini) Pegasus Airlines (Antalya, Istanbul) TUI Airways (Gran Canaria, Antalya, Innsbruck)

Facts about Stansted Airport

• Over 27 million passengers fly through Stansted Airport every year
• It is the third busiest airport in London and the fourth in the United Kingdom
• Stansted Airport flies to over 200 destinations
• It serves more than 40 countries
• After Munich, it flies to the most destinations in Europe
• The ratio between UK and non-UK passengers is about 50/50
• Stansted Airport has just 1 runway and it is 3,049m long

Fast Track at Stansted Airport

There are a couple of different Fast Track options at Stansted Airport: Security FastTrack and Passport Control FastTrack.

Both of them can be booked up to an hour before departure and are subject to availability.

Security FastTrack is available from 4 am until 8 pm. It provides access to a dedicated security lane that takes you straight to the security checkpoint. You will spend less time in security and can get to the departure lounge quicker.

Passport Control FastTrack is open from 7 am to 1 am. It applies on the return leg of your journey and lets you take a faster route through Passport Control, thus leaving the airport and getting home quicker.

Both FastTrack options are available from £7.

Stansted Airport Lounges

Stansted Airport is home to the Escape Lounge, which gives you a chance to escape the crowds and enjoy some quiet time with a glass of sparkling wine, some food, and other essential amenities.

There is free WiFi through and you can also charge your devices. You should book in advance if you want to stay in this Stansted Airport lounge. It’s okay if your flight is delayed, as free cancellation is available, so as long as you cancel early enough, you’ll get your money back.

Stansted Airport Drop Off & Pick Up

If you’re dropping someone off at Stansted Airport, you can use the Express Set Down. It costs £7 for up to 15 minutes and £25 for stays of over 15 minutes. If you re-enter the zone within 30 minutes of first entering, you’ll be charged £20.

Vehicles must not be left unattended and you’ll need to pay using the exact change or a credit/debit card.

If you’re there for a pick-up, it’s best to use one of the official car parks.

The Short Stay is the easiest option. Look for the Orange, Blue, and Green sections and you will be charged the following:

Up to 30 minutes = £10

Up to 1 hour = £18

Up to 2 hours = £22

Up to 4 hours = £35

Up to 24 hours = £62

Each additional 24 hours = £62

Alternatively, head to the Mid Stay car park. It’ll take you a little longer to get to the terminal (7 minutes by shuttle bus), but the first 60 minutes are free, after which you’ll pay £5 for up to 2 hours, £30 for up to 24 hours, and £30 for each 24-hour period thereafter.