Stansted Airport Arrivals Parking?

[EDDIE51]

I have to pick someone up Stansted Airport at Midnight Thursday I am told you have to pay to park even just to pick someone up. Looked at the airport web site for parking and it says there is a £3 charge but that only covers a 10 min wait, then it is a £50 penalty. With delays in flights arrivals and baggage pick up I can't see how I can be sure I will only need to park for 10 minutes.
Anyone got information or advice? I have driven past the airport loads of times but never actually had to go in before so I don't know my way around and it will be dark.

[sunny-dave]

Park at the Services at the M11 junction until your passengers are actually outside departures and ready - takes about 10 mins to the airport. Good signs so no probs in the dark.

[DaisyNonna]

Yet another scam

[sunny-dave]

'oustside arrivals' I meant

[Buenchico]

Drive to the Mid Stay car park. Hop on a free bus to the terminal. (They're frequent and only take a few minutes). Meet the person and hop on a bus back. As long as you leave within an hour of arriving, there's no charge. (2 hours parking costs just £1 but make sure that you don't go over that, as you'll get clobbered for £25).

[trt]

Eddie,

At the roundabout outside Stansted, there is the turn off to the front/departures, then the turn off for the car-parks, then past that another turning which is bit bigger than a country lane.

Drive down there and about a mile or so or your right, there is small factory building, no gates but plenty of space at the front.

Just park there till your friends phone you, it will only take you 5/8 minutes to pick up area.
Have done this many times when I had a small taxi biz.

[Buenchico]

^^^ Trt's solution will still cost you £3 if you drive to the front of the terminal, as that's now the automatic charge for accessing that area. (It only gives you 10 minutes parking and you can't leave your car unattended).

So it makes sense to drive to the Mid Stay car park and either wait for the person to join you there (after phoning you to establish the location of your car) or going to meet them in the terminal, as in my original post.

[Buenchico]

PS:
Since 2007, all UK airports now go out of their way to severely limit (or ban) vehicular access to the fronts of their terminals:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Glasgow_International_Airport_attack

[naomi24]

trt, you can no longer pick people up from outside the terminal building.

This from the website.

•Free for up to 1 hour
•Located in the Mid Stay Car Park. Follow signs for 'Free Set Down'

We offer a free pick up and drop off option from a dedicated area in the Mid Stay Car Park. Just a 5 minute courtesy bus ride away from the terminal forecourt (buses run every 10 minutes). Perfect if you want to accompany friends and family to the terminal or assist them from arrivals. Free for up to 1 hour, £1 up to 2 hours. Daily rates for Mid Stay Car Park apply after 2 hours.


http://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/pick-up-and-drop-off/

[Buenchico]

^^^ To clarify apparent differences between my post and Naomi's:

It costs £3 to access the area in front of the terminals to drop someone off. You might get past the security check (especially if you've got someone in the passenger seat, who looks like they could be about to board a flight) if you're only seeking to pick someone up but the official policy is that there's NO picking up allowed at the front of the terminal.

[trt]

## trt, you can no longer pick people up from outside the terminal building. ##

I have been aware of that naomi for a long time......

I never said you could, I said the pick up area point, meaning in the car park, think its D.

[zebo]

Follow the signs for Mid Term parking, at the roundabout that goes left into the carpark go right towards M and S and McDonalds. The person you're meeting can then phone when they're on the bus, you go into the car-park through the free pick up entrance, follow the signs and pick up from bus, it's free for 1 hour as someone's said. If you go in too soon as has been said you may get a charge if your pickup is delayed.