Stansted airport free set down area

This is a helpful blog post to explain Stansted airport free set down area.

Back in 2015 it was still possible to be dropped off at Stansted airport’s departure entrance, this has now since changed.

In 2015 a barrier was introduced by the drop off zone close to Stansted Airports departure gate’s.

It’s since increased from £2 the introduction price to £2.50 and since April 2016 it’s gone up once more to £3.

As of November 2021, a further increase has taken place and it is now £7 for up to 15 minutes.

You think this would be the end of it, but it’s not sadly.

This fee entitles you to under 15-minute entry in the drop off zone. No more, no less. If you go over 15 minutes this increases to £25.00.

Avoid a hefty £25 charge

(It used to be easier to fly from London Stansted)

If you happen to bump into traffic at the exit gate and go over your 10 minutes allocation you will be subject to a £25 charge.

Some readers have reported paying up to £25 as some drivers struggle to leave the drop off zone within 15 minutes.

This could be due to a traffic jam situation where your car is stuck and can no longer move to exit the area.

This was my reason for wanting to first write about this horrible fee as it’s simply unfair to the driver possibly doing a good deed for the holiday maker.

Whilst you go off and enjoy your holiday your friend or family member who offered kindly to drop you off gets stuck into this fee paying trap!

Stansted airport free set down area

(Please read this section carefully to help avoid this horrible situation from happening.)

Be a good person and help plan in advance your journey to Stansted Airport and find out what to do and which steps to take.

Avoid landing into the same problem as many other people passengers have faced in the past.

First of all please add an additional 30 minutes to your travel time to Stansted airport.

This method is free but does require more time to reach the airport.

If you are in a rush, your only choice is to fork out the high fee and be dropped off in the drop off zone. You have been warned.

The above method is the only method without being fined, landing in trouble or having to pay the overpriced drop off fee.

Stansted airport has a free set down area located in the Mid-stay car park.

How the free Stansted airport set down area works

(Simply follow the signs to the “Free set down” area. )

Here you will find a free bus transfer that will take you to the departure gates.

They run every 10 minutes and will take around 5 minutes journey time.

You can stay in this zone for free for up to 1 hour/60 minutes.

For an additional £5 you can stay for 2 hours/120 minutes.

24 hours is £30 and any additional 24 hours will cost an extra £30 0n top.

Now that’s a lot better than possibly landing yourself into a £25 charge for going over 15 minutes!

This method works for pick up and collection too

This method works for both pickup and drop off.

A short walk away from the Mid-stay car park you can find an Mc Donalds so you can grab a coffee whilst you wait or grab the free bus to the arrival terminal and wait there, many options without any shocking fees.

If you do stop off at Mc Donalds, be sure to purchase an item and register your number plate with the staff as they do operate a fine system for non-customers.

This is a recently introduced feature and this was the reason for writing an update post on the situation.

Still, many drivers are getting caught by this overpriced drop off zone fee.

Now you have a solution to the problem I hope this makes the situation a bit better.

Still, I will highlight that charging for drop off is purely unfair and the running over 15 minute situation is unfair if you get caught in a jam at the exit barrier.

Sometimes 15 minutes isn’t enough time but I hope the above situation helps to avoid having to pay a possible £25.

Do’s and dont’s

(The free shuttle bus from the mid stay car park is a hassle but it’s the easiest solution to deal with this problem. )

Do not get dropped off at the Radisson hotel which was once advised. Since the introduction of the drop off fee, the hotel has installed a fine system for non-customers using the car park facilities.

Do not drop off by the barrier roundabout, CCTV cameras are located around these areas and they are marked with double yellow lines, it is against the law to drop off here.

Do not walk up to the barriers on foot and into the departure zone it’s clearly signposted that this is not allowed and you could cause trouble. Police are present around this area.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading my blog post all about Stansted airport free set down area, I hope you’ve found it useful and I hope this solves the situation for your next visit to Stansted airport.

I hope you have a wonderful trip and onwards journey.

Have you just been caught by the Drop off fee? Have you used the Mid-stay car park shuttle service? Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and happy travels!