I have been through Stansted as crew and pax and it is thoroughly unpleasant. My other half found out first hand why I hate going through there on a recent holiday to Spain. She had already booked it before I got a word in. It isn't the operatives' fault. It is the government minister's fault that they behave as they do. He is not going to back off the drama in case somebody gets through with a container of water and it makes the press. What I find intriguing though is the cavalier way that the confiscated items are treated. Now this stuff is either completely safe or it is suspect. So why is it carelessly thrown into a big bin if it is suspect? I wouldn't have thought this was an approved way of handling potential explosives.
With the above exception, I've always taken the Eurostar to Paris, Amsterdam and recently, Frankfurt to fly long haul. It is all over a lot cheaper than the UK's airports and the war on terror is at least polite.