Stansted Airport Drop Off & Pick Up

Driving your way through flurries of travellers at Stansted Airport can be tricky. Here's everything you need to know about Drop Off & Pick Up at Stansted's main terminal.

Drop Off & Pick Up Free Parking

Free Set Down in the Mid Stay Car Park

This option provides up to 1 hour of free parking in the Mid Stay Car Park. The car park is only a 5 minute bus ride from the terminal, and buses run every 10 minutes. This is the ideal option if you want to head to the terminal with your loved ones, or help them in arrivals.

Charges are: free for up to an hour, and £1.50 for up to 2 hours. Anything after 2 hours is subject to the Mid Stay Car Park daily rates.

Mid Stay Car Park Tariffs
Up to 1 hour	Free	Up to 2 hours	£1.50
24 hours (October - April)	£23.00	24 hours (May - September)	£25.00

Express Set Down

If you are after something more close to the terminal with an affordable price tag, Express Set Down is the perfect drop off & pick up spot. With forecourts situated right outside the terminal, this option is ideal if you or your passengers are in a rush. Be sure to stay in your vehicle when dropping off your passengers as unattended vehicles may be towed away and receive a towing fee.

Stansted Express Set Down Tariffs
10 minutes or less	£3.50	10 - 15 minutes	An extra £1.00 per minute
More than 15 minutes	£25.00

*Please note that you will be charged £20.00 for re-entering the area if it's within the first 30 minutes of you having already entered.

Express Set Down Discount

Do you live within a 5 mile radius of Stansted Airport? If so, lucky you - you only have to pay 50p for a stay of up to 10 minutes. If you live within a 5 - 10 mile radius of the airport, you only have to pay £1.00 for a stay of up to 10 minutes. Stays of 10 - 15 minutes will be charged at £1.00 per minute. Stays of more than 15 minutes will have a £25.00 charge.

Beware of the £50.00 charge

Since Stansted Airport's Express Set Down Area was first introduced in 2015, some customers have been stung with a £50.00 charge for going over their 10 minute allocation. Sometimes, this charge has been unavoidable due to traffic jams.

We recommend that if you intend to use the Set Down area, to plan in advance and aim to make the dropping off of passengers run as smoothly as possible so you're done well within the 10 minute time frame - or consider paying more for additional time. A cheap alternative to this is the Free Set Down in the Mid Stay Car Park, which allows free parking for up to an hour.

Stansted Short Stay Parking

The Short Stay Turn Up and Park zones are the Green and Orange zones. The Orange zone is one of the closest to the airport, and the Green zone is also located nearby.

Short Stay Turn Up Tariffs (Green Zone)
Up to 30 minutes	£4.10	Up to 1 hour	£8.00
Up to 2 hours	£13.50	Up to 4 hours	£24.00
Up to 24 hours	£45.00	Additional 24 hours	£45.00

Short Stay Turn Up Tariffs (Orange Zone)
Up to 30 minutes	£5.00	Up to 1 hour	£9.50
Up to 2 hours	£16.00	Up to 4 hours	£26.00
Up to 24 hours	£52.00	Additional 24 hours	£52.00

*Prices correct as of 1st April 2017

To secure your car parking space, we highly recommend you pre-book your parking. Airparks have some fantastic Stansted Short Stay Parking deals without the premium price tag.

Short Stay Directions

It's always good to know where you're going! Find out how to get to Stansted Car Parks.