Stansted-4
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 303
Likes: 2
From: London
Departing tonight from STN for the first time in a while. Still a s**tshow. Huge queues at security. Huge proportion of bags getting double checked for no apparent reason. My shoes had to go through separately having had no issues at Gatwick a fortnight ago or Heathrow the month before. It feels like years since I've had a decent departure experience here
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 110
Likes: 7
From: Herts
STN
Departing tonight from STN for the first time in a while. Still a s**tshow. Huge queues at security. Huge proportion of bags getting double checked for no apparent reason. My shoes had to go through separately having had no issues at Gatwick a fortnight ago or Heathrow the month before. It feels like years since I've had a decent departure experience here
Regards.
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 303
Likes: 2
From: London
Well of course one can do that. But why should one have to? I come to STN as it's actually our closest airport and, for example, I can't fly to Trieste from LGW. But it always seems conspicuously badly managed by comparison.
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,832
Likes: 312
From: UK
I’ve had the joys of flights through Stansted lately and after many years of avoiding it (my previous flight being an Israir A320 to TLV!) it reminds me exactly why I detest it.
Fast Track security doesn’t work and on two of three recent trips, I’ve ended up in the same security queue as everyone else without being able to work out how.
Security search staff are quite shouty and their ability to deal with anyone whose first language isn’t English seems to be confined to shouting more loudly.
VP9 is signposted throughout the airport. What the heck is that, and why is it on so many signposts?
The departure lounge is heaving but the airport still says “relax” on the FIDS until your gate is available. No chance of that. Even before giving you a gate, some broad suggestion of which satellite would be helpful.
The gates themselves are filthy and you’re left standing in a stairwell for ages to consider layers of thick grey dust on every surface.
Domestic arrivals are all coached into some ghastly dungeon in the airport’s undercroft. If you’re on a 737 or A320, neither coach leaves until both are ready to go (why?) which creates a pile-up of people at arrivals and means everyone is slowed down to the pace of the slowest passenger.
All told, it’s a pretty awful experience that could be made a little better by a few tweaks like sorting Fast Track, earlier notification of which satellite to head to (even if not the precise gate) and sorting the coaching ops. All are easy fixes, but flying through STN is probably one of the worst options out.
Fast Track security doesn’t work and on two of three recent trips, I’ve ended up in the same security queue as everyone else without being able to work out how.
Security search staff are quite shouty and their ability to deal with anyone whose first language isn’t English seems to be confined to shouting more loudly.
VP9 is signposted throughout the airport. What the heck is that, and why is it on so many signposts?
The departure lounge is heaving but the airport still says “relax” on the FIDS until your gate is available. No chance of that. Even before giving you a gate, some broad suggestion of which satellite would be helpful.
The gates themselves are filthy and you’re left standing in a stairwell for ages to consider layers of thick grey dust on every surface.
Domestic arrivals are all coached into some ghastly dungeon in the airport’s undercroft. If you’re on a 737 or A320, neither coach leaves until both are ready to go (why?) which creates a pile-up of people at arrivals and means everyone is slowed down to the pace of the slowest passenger.
All told, it’s a pretty awful experience that could be made a little better by a few tweaks like sorting Fast Track, earlier notification of which satellite to head to (even if not the precise gate) and sorting the coaching ops. All are easy fixes, but flying through STN is probably one of the worst options out.
Last edited by Flightrider; 20th May 2026 at 12:33.
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 68
Likes: 6
From: St Albans
I’ve had the joys of flights through Stansted lately and after many years of avoiding it (my previous flight being an Israir A320 to TLV!) it reminds me exactly why I detest it.
Fast Track security doesn’t work and on two of three recent trips, I’ve ended up in the same security queue as everyone else without being able to work out how.
Security search staff are quite shouty and their ability to deal with anyone who’s first language isn’t English seems to be confined to shouting more loudly.
VP9 is signposted throughout the airport. What the heck is that, and why is it on so many signposts?
The departure lounge is heaving but the airport still says “relax” on the FIDS until your gate is available. No chance of that. Even before giving you a gate, some broad suggestion of which satellite would be helpful.
The gates themselves are filthy and you’re left standing in a stairwell for ages to consider layers of thick grey dust on every surface.
Domestic arrivals are all coached into some ghastly dungeon in the airport’s undercroft. If you’re on a 737 or A320, neither coach leaves until both are ready to go (why?) which creates a pile-up of people at arrivals and means everyone is slowed down to the pace of the slowest passenger.
All told, it’s a pretty awful experience that could be made a little better by a few tweaks like sorting Fast Track, earlier notification of which satellite to head to (even if not the precise gate) and sorting the coaching ops. All are easy fixes, but flying through STN is probably one of the worst options out.
Fast Track security doesn’t work and on two of three recent trips, I’ve ended up in the same security queue as everyone else without being able to work out how.
Security search staff are quite shouty and their ability to deal with anyone who’s first language isn’t English seems to be confined to shouting more loudly.
VP9 is signposted throughout the airport. What the heck is that, and why is it on so many signposts?
The departure lounge is heaving but the airport still says “relax” on the FIDS until your gate is available. No chance of that. Even before giving you a gate, some broad suggestion of which satellite would be helpful.
The gates themselves are filthy and you’re left standing in a stairwell for ages to consider layers of thick grey dust on every surface.
Domestic arrivals are all coached into some ghastly dungeon in the airport’s undercroft. If you’re on a 737 or A320, neither coach leaves until both are ready to go (why?) which creates a pile-up of people at arrivals and means everyone is slowed down to the pace of the slowest passenger.
All told, it’s a pretty awful experience that could be made a little better by a few tweaks like sorting Fast Track, earlier notification of which satellite to head to (even if not the precise gate) and sorting the coaching ops. All are easy fixes, but flying through STN is probably one of the worst options out.
Security seemed to take an age and just felt disorganised once you get to the end of snaking queue. You just get yelled at to move to one of the various machines rather than having a separate queue for each one. And yes, people were being directed to Fast Track, to then join a queue with everyone else.
The Terminal was filthy, the car parks looked like they hadn't been swept in years, every corridor was full of rubbish and dust. Even the roof supports were covered in a thick layer of dust, the same ones I noticed years ago and just never seem to be cleaned.
On arrival, we also had the same experience of standing on a completely full bus, with the doors closed, waiting for the second bus to fill before we left. Doesn't make sense to drop 180 pax off at arrivals all at once, rather than a staggered 90/90?
I now only choose Stansted if it's the only option for the airport I need, if its a route flown elsewhere then I will.
BTW, VP9 is a staff security point. Not sure why it needs so many signs, surely as a staff member (and I was many years ago at Stansted) once you know, you know?
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 459
Likes: 15
From: Italy
STN TP and TTS routing
Hope you’re all well 🙂
Just wanted to ask if anyone in the know at STN has any updates on the terminal transformation project/extension/satellite refurbishment progress please?
Further, I’ve noticed recently some changes to signage in the terminal recently re. The TTS routing. It seems that now, the transit system serves SAT 1 exclusively, as the electronic signage as well as the yellow banner now reads ‘shuttle to gates 1-19’ rather than 1-39. It seems as though access to SAT 2 is now done solely via the walkway en route to gates 81-88, as signage has been changed here also. Anyone know if this is temporary, or has the TTS now permanently stopped serving the upper level of SAT 2? I am aware that alternate access to gates 20-39 has always been put in place as a contingency measure during times when the TTS has been out of use or in maintenance, but this is the first time I’ve noticed all these signage changes and the fact that signs to the shuttle train no longer signpost passengers to access gates 20-39 via the TTS.
Just wanted to ask if anyone in the know at STN has any updates on the terminal transformation project/extension/satellite refurbishment progress please?
Further, I’ve noticed recently some changes to signage in the terminal recently re. The TTS routing. It seems that now, the transit system serves SAT 1 exclusively, as the electronic signage as well as the yellow banner now reads ‘shuttle to gates 1-19’ rather than 1-39. It seems as though access to SAT 2 is now done solely via the walkway en route to gates 81-88, as signage has been changed here also. Anyone know if this is temporary, or has the TTS now permanently stopped serving the upper level of SAT 2? I am aware that alternate access to gates 20-39 has always been put in place as a contingency measure during times when the TTS has been out of use or in maintenance, but this is the first time I’ve noticed all these signage changes and the fact that signs to the shuttle train no longer signpost passengers to access gates 20-39 via the TTS.
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: london
Jazeera launch new Kuwait flight from LUTON
Fair play to Luton, but Stansted must have messed up big time to miss this opportunity to gain another link to the Middle East and push the mid haul / connection traffic. Especially as Jazeera have a tie up / interline with Pegasus and also have TK and EK on site which could have added extra options in case of any technical issues on the day etc, Would have been a great addition to that Stansted map
https://simpleflying.com/unusual-7-h...ng-haul-route/
https://simpleflying.com/unusual-7-h...ng-haul-route/
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,992
Likes: 175
From: Not so many places currently
Fair play to Luton, but Stansted must have messed up big time to miss this opportunity to gain another link to the Middle East and push the mid haul / connection traffic. Especially as Jazeera have a tie up / interline with Pegasus and also have TK and EK on site which could have added extra options in case of any technical issues on the day etc, Would have been a great addition to that Stansted map
https://simpleflying.com/unusual-7-h...ng-haul-route/
https://simpleflying.com/unusual-7-h...ng-haul-route/
I would be surprised if they didn't have a look at STN.
I know it's only a short summer offering and they maybe are only waiting for slots somewhere else, but it will give a clear signal to other LoCo carriers in that region.
If say flynas or flyadeal launched from a secondary airport to Luton, I think there would be serious questions to be raised at MAG Management.
PS I expected a secondary Egyptain carrier to arrive at Luton next year.
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: london
And LGW as they previously had flights before covid.
I would be surprised if they didn't have a look at STN.
I know it's only a short summer offering and they maybe are only waiting for slots somewhere else, but it will give a clear signal to other LoCo carriers in that region.
If say flynas or flyadeal launched from a secondary airport to Luton, I think there would be serious questions to be raised at MAG Management.
PS I expected a secondary Egyptain carrier to arrive at Luton next year.
I would be surprised if they didn't have a look at STN.
I know it's only a short summer offering and they maybe are only waiting for slots somewhere else, but it will give a clear signal to other LoCo carriers in that region.
If say flynas or flyadeal launched from a secondary airport to Luton, I think there would be serious questions to be raised at MAG Management.
PS I expected a secondary Egyptain carrier to arrive at Luton next year.
pick with their 787s once they arrive ?
