Simon Calder, in
The Independent seems to support my idea about Stansted's location:
Stansted occupies a beautiful building, but one with awkward rail links the journey by train from central London has actually significantly slowed down in the 20 years since the rail line opened.
Of the big four London airports the other three being Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton Stansted is the furthest from the centre, and also furthest from the key road and rail arteries. Its only a little bit unfair to describe it as an airport people use because they have to.