Stansted Airport banning sleeping passengers

[chopper2004]

Not sure how true this is found this in my local rag about airport staff discouraging passengers from crashing out on floors or seats while waiting in the wee hours.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/stansted-airport-bans-sleepy-passengers-14793545

[LTNman]

Still better than Southend where passengers are forced to leave the terminal and have to sleep outside.

[daz211]

It’s been on social media for months, it’s due to the terminal redevelopment and improvement works, the terminal for departing passengers is being closed at set times for health and safety reasons while the works are carried out.

[tophat27dt]

Still better than Southend where passengers are forced to leave the terminal and have to sleep outside.
Exaggerated nonsense

[M-JCS]

About time I'd say. I'm not sure where the feeling of entitlement came from allowing passengers to lay down over several seats, putting their dirty feet up on the seats, while others are left looking for a place to sit down. There's bound to be moaning by the social media set, but I wish all airports would engage in the same policy. And not just between midnight and 2 am.

[Planespeaking]

Still better than Southend where passengers are forced to leave the terminal and have to sleep outside.
I can understand you want to support your airport LTNman, and even STN, but your continous knocking of SEN does become rather predictable and tiresome after a while.

[tophat27dt]

About time I'd say. I'm not sure where the feeling of entitlement came from allowing passengers to lay down over several seats, putting their dirty feet up on the seats, while others are left looking for a place to sit down. There's bound to be moaning by the social media set, but I wish all airports would engage in the same policy. And not just between midnight and 2 am.
Correct. It's not just a night thing. Try finding a seat in Dubai whilst others occupy multi seats for their slumber and cabin bags.

[tophat27dt]

I can understand you want to support your airport LTNman, and even STN, but your continous knocking of SEN does become rather predictable and tiresome after a while.
He's been doing it for years.

[El Bunto]

and warning signs have also been put up telling passengers: "Please do not lay down on the seats."

One lays down suppressive fire, or lays a casualty on the ground, or lays an egg. One lies down on a bed or a seat.

I do hope the sign-writers in the airport have passed their English language GCSE, I couldn't actually find an image of a sign thus written.

[tescoapp]

can understand you want to support your airport LTNman, and even STN, but your continous knocking of SEN does become rather predictable and tiresome after a while.

Its like farmers sitting in a pub discussing what animal excrement they prefer to spread on their fields. Very import to each individual but to 99.9% of the rest of us its a discussion about which ****e is best.

[Fairdealfrank]

What else can be done as flights depart/arrive at "stupid o'clock" when other public transport (bus, trains, etc.) are not available?

[LTNman]

Exaggerated nonsense

No it is not. The SEN terminal closes overnight and passengers are asked to leave. There are reviews where passengers have slept on the railway platform as there is a small open shelter.

Oh and if you read all my comments you will see I am a SEN supporter and my comments are generally far more complementary than my comments about LTN

[compton3bravo]

Oh dear, the my airport is better than your airport syndrome has reared its ugly head again. I for one want all airport's to succeed and improve the experience for passengers and employees. Can we not just have a rational and adult discussion on all aspects of the aviation industry and PLEASE grow up.

[LTNman]

Agreed, so I hope that pop was not directed at me.

[davidjohnson6]

I find it rather disappointing that STN should decide to ban overnight sleepers. Those with good incomes or living in London have transport options for early morning departures / late night arrivals. Plenty of people need to fly for one reason or other cannot afford the extra cost of a hotel or a taxi in the middle of the night (when cabbies charge higher fares). Sleeping in airports is not comfortable and many do it for lack of other affordable options.

There was a tradition that if sleepers were quiet, unobstructive, caused no trouble and could show evidence of a ticket for yesterday / tomorrow on demand to prove they were not simply homeless people sleeping in the airport regularly, then a blind eye was turned.

This morning i had to travel from a remote village to an airport to catch a flight. The only suitable bus left at 3:30 am to reach the airport at 5:15 am, for a 10 am flight. The local taxi firm wanted 150 euros versus 15 euros on the bus. I was very glad to find somewhere in a quiet corner to snooze until 7 am without being woken up.

[STN406]

Unfortunately this is what has to be done now. I work for MAG at Stansted and it is a real struggle to get our roles done with a few hundred passengers blocking routes, and equipment.
We’ve had passengers climbing over and sleeping behind the check-in desk in the past !
I agree that this option is possibly not ideal for some but it is the only real option that is practical for the operational running of an airport.

STN406

[pamann]

About time if you ask me!

I’ve been through Stansted in the small hours and it resembles Centre Point at Christmas. With Ryanair offering dirt cheap fares it’s going to attract ‘the great unwashed’. Unfortunately some of us have had to endure said folk sat next to on a flight and that’s no fun either. I say bring it on!

I’ve also had to step over sleeping folk in the queue to check-in all wrapped up in their sleeping bags on the floor. Clearly a hazard. The place looks a mess at 2/3am.

[Callum Paterson]

Passengers moaning that they are forced to sleep outside or on a rail platform? Utter bollocks. Have these people never heard of hotels? One wonders where they plan to sleep once at their chosen destination...

[LTNman]

Why do folk here get so upset when I have just told the truth about SEN? Why do people say it is nonsense or worse when it is a fact that passengers sleep on the Stobart provided railway platform. It is not a criticism of the airport but it happens so get over it. By comparison even now Stansted offers 5 star luxury.

https://www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/london-southend.htm

(Review by dar62) I had a flight at 7 am on Sunday, and there are no trains from London between 2 am and 8 am (the only connection available in the night is the X30 from Stansted, 16/one-way). I knew the airport would close, but while it was supposed to stay open until midnight, it got closed at 10 pm. The airside was not accessible, because the last flight had departed hours before, but I'd managed to catch a nap on the landside – the benches were soft and surprisingly comfortable for an airport, and there were no other sleepers. Between 10 pm and 4 am only the railway station was open, courtesy of the security guard – it was quite chilly and sleeping there was simply impossible without a warm sleeping bag (and that would have to go on the floor anyway), but still better than staying outside. There is also a McD 5 mins away, but I don't know the opening hours. On the positive side, Southend Airport is one of the few that have free shower facilities.

(Review by ladysarac) So I had this flight to Belfast at 6 in the morning and the last train from London left at 11pm something (no coaches to the airport)… Having spend nights all over Europe, it didn’t even cross my mind a London airport could close during the night… Got there at 11.50, prepared myself to sleep and the security guard came to say they were closing! I asked if there was anything open around (the airport is in the middle of nowhere…), and he said maybe the McDonalds, a mere half an hour walk away, would be open… I walked to the train station and found some fellow travellers there. It was so cold we literally forgot all decencies and slept almost pilled on each other. Airport re-opened at 4am… and yes, the McDonalds WAS closed.


(Review by UnsatisfiedTravller) Had to wait outside in the freezing cold for more than 2 hours before the airport actually opened. Had no idea the airport didn’t open till 4am. There’s also no transport which comes regularly so you’re forced to come hours before your flight, only to sit outside like a homeless person. About 16 of us were left outside shivering in the cold. No one anticipated an airport being shut. If you have an early flight I don’t recommend traveling through London Southend.
Southend Airport Customer Reviews | SKYTRAX (http://www.airlinequality.com/airport-reviews/southend-airport/page/2/)J Wayne (United Kingdom)

If your flight leaves first thing in the morning then don't bother! I travelled from Yorkshire to get my flight to Barcelona at 7 in the morning and got there at 1am had to "sleep" in the cold train station until it re-opened thankfully I wasn't the only person as there was about 10 of us. Last train from Southend to the airport was around 1am and vice versa so had no chance of going back into London for a few hours to pass time. There should be something for passengers who are catching flights first thing as not everyone drives and people come from far to catch early morning flights. Was ok once I got in speedy check in and going through security was fast too. Had a nice sleep on the plane but I wouldn't travel from there again because of the time it takes travelling and cost etc.

There are more reports on Trip advisor but I can't be bothered to dig them out

[tescoapp]

its quiet common for regional airports to close the doors over night between last flight and first flight in the morning. Some national airports do it as well eg Tallinn.

Its not the airports fault. In fact there is a link between airports having a reputation of being dirty and smelly that don't close for a few hours (when the place gets a good unrestricted wash down) and those that stay open with people everywhere.

What the UK is particularly poor for is public transport and timings. Most countries time the public transport runs for the airport time table. SO the first bus arrives say an hour before the first departure. And the last bus at 40 mins after the last arrival. UK they don't seem to give a toss when the first bus arrives or last bus departs.

[Expressflight]

[QUOTEThere are more reports on Trip advisor but I can't be bothered to dig them out[/QUOTE]

Thank heaven for small mercies.

[Buswinker]

“10 of us”...”16 of us”...the other 1000 or so have somehow worked it out?

[azzbo]

You can usually get a cheap fare in the Stansted Premier Inn if you book in advance, even just a few days in advance....

[edi_local]

You can usually get a cheap fare in the Stansted Premier Inn if you book in advance, even just a few days in advance....

I once used the Yotel at LGW. I thought it was great. A tiny room with a bathroom and a TV. That's it. But it's only for a night, if that. I think I spent about 8 hours in it. Much better than sleeping on a floor in a fully lit, draughty terminal where you have all sorts coming and going all night, which I have done previously at LGW! My only gripe is the cost. It was about £60 from what I remember. The place was also nearly deserted. In peak summer. I can't help but feel if they lowered the cost somewhat that more of the terminal sleepers would fork out for a cosy bed and they would make more money.The terminal itself was fairly busy with sleepers so there is demand.

[rationalfunctions]

If nothing else, will prevent pax from over-napping and missing their flights!

If I had a pound for every person's story about missing their departures at STN by not paying attention to time in the departures lounge..... (then I would be around £3 richer)

[LTNman]

Cheap flights and cash strapped passengers on extremely tight budgets has brought a whole new class of passenger to air travel. Most airports seem to tolerate this behaviour if passengers are sensible where they bed down for the night.

[jolihokistix]

One thing I appreciate on Korean flights is the sleeping lounge at Incheon. They provide lines of loungers and a dark room or two (if you know where to find them!) which really help take the sting out of the eventual jet lag. Probably wise to sleep with one arm through your bag handle. If I were to criticize anything, it would be placing said sleeping area opposite the play area and jungle jim with all the screaming tots.

[AirportPlanner1]

Passengers moaning that they are forced to sleep outside or on a rail platform? Utter bollocks. Have these people never heard of hotels? One wonders where they plan to sleep once at their chosen destination...

Don’t judge people. Agreed SEN doesn’t quite have the same issues, but at 02:00 on the night of 28/29 May at STN I was stuck in the airport because I missed my last transport home after delay. 40+ flights arrived after 1am. I have a good income, but that didn’t stop me being stranded because the sheer volume of arriving pax meant taxis weren’t available, Uber the same, and ridiculous queues for the coaches to London (if that’s where you were going). People did have hotel reservations, but couldn’t get to them because shuttle buses had stopped for the night and taxis weren’t available as I described above.

[jolihokistix]

Incheon also has a hotel inside the terminal building, so passengers do get a choice of paying for a quiet and civilized room, or a free lie-down couch in a dark but noisy semi-public space.
Showers are also offered free of charge to the savvy traveller. (2F)

[STN406]

You can also book your ‘National Express’ online rather than queuing.

[AirportPlanner1]

You can also book your ‘National Express’ online rather than queuing.

You can but the queue was to actually get on a coach, not get a ticket. For me London wasn’t my destination so it’s irrelevent but the fact remains that staying over in the airport isn’t always a choice and isn’t restricted to perceived “lower” classes.

[LTNman]

With Southend looking to get much busier next year it must be getting hard now to justify a SEN terminal closure when it is staffed overnight. Is this a planning permission issue or a Stobart decision as they don't want down and outs kipping in their nice new terminal? Just seems a little strange to have a queue of people waiting for the doors to be unlocked as though it was the first day of the Boxing Day sales. Saying that London City closes overnight but I doubt any suits would get to the airport earlier than they have to.