London Stansted Airport

Luxury Everywhere

Bassingbourne Road
Enterprise House
Takeley, Essex CM24 1QW

Phone: +44 870 000 0303

Fax: +44 127 966 2066

Situated 48km northwest of central London, Stansted is the airport of choice for the surfeit of low-budget airlines that run to Europe, although it also serves destinations worldwide. This can mean the departure hall is overrun with customers queuing to check in, and it's always worth getting there with plenty of time to spare. With both arrivals and departures in one building, it's nothing like the size of Heathrow and Gatwick, although it still has a reasonable array of shops and eateries, especially since the completion of the departure lounge extension at the end of 2001. There is a dedicated pick up area in Zone D of the short-stay car park where customers can wait for free for 10 minutes. Stansted has short, medium and long-stay car parks. The short-stay parking is very close to the terminal building while the long-stay parking is a short bus ride away and the medium-stay parking is in the middle. The airport runs regular shuttle buses between the long-stay car parks and the terminal although travellers should add an extra 30 minutes to their journey to account for this. Pre-book on the website for parking discounts and details on the AirportsPLUS VIP service - a priority reserved car parking facility. The airport railway station and ticket office is below the terminal building. All trains have facilities for special needs passengers but note that you cannot take bikes on the Stansted Express, although they can be taken on the local train service into London. Trains run from 5a-11p every day. Buses run from the terminal forecourt and serve London and the rest of the country. For taxis, Stansted Airport Cars have a desk on the international arrivals concourse. Call +44 1279 662444 to prebook. Wheelchair accessible cars are available on request. There's a wide variety of snack bars and restaurants from coffee houses to seafood restaurants. Standsted has tried to ensure high standards by bringing Egon Ronay and his team of restaurant inspectors on board and it's worth looking out for the units that have Egon Ronay ratings. Restaurants and bars that belong to national chains have been price-fixed in line with high street prices so you should not pay a penny more than you would on the UK high street. There can be long queuing times for check-in and you need to allow time for getting to and from the long-stay car park. If you want your journey to go really smoothly, it's worth investigating the AirportsPLUS VIP service which includes fast track security clearance, entry to the VIP lounge, commission-free currency and special shopping and eating offers. Air 2000, Air Malta, Air Stord, Aurigny Air Services, British Airways, Cyprus Airways, Czech Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Intourtrans, KLM UK, KLM exel, KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, Kibris Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, Northwest Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair, bmi british midland are all the possile airlines served.