Airport guide · the group organiser’s briefing
London Stansted Airport
STN · EGSS · Stansted Mountfitchet
The group organiser’s briefing for London Stansted Airport — meeting points, real costs, and the coach pick-up detail no one else writes down.
Get a price for Stansted
Coaches typically £670* · Minibuses typically £320*
Per vehicle, one way, to central London. * Includes the airport’s permit, parking or drop-off charge for a normal pick-up or drop-off. Waiting time rates may apply. Prices are subject to the time of year, the time of day and availability.
Stansted is Essex's gateway and one of London's busiest low-cost bases — nearly 30 million passengers a year through a single Norman Foster terminal, with everything you need arranged around it. This is the group organiser's briefing: where an arriving party gathers, what dropping off actually costs since the 2026 price rise, and — the part most guides skip — exactly how a charter coach drops off free and pays to pick up at the coach station opposite the terminal. Every figure below shows the date we last checked it against the source.
Coach parking & group pick-up at London Stansted
Stansted keeps this refreshingly simple: there is no coach permit scheme. Charter coaches use the bus & coach station directly opposite the terminal — a two-minute walk from arrivals. Dropping a group off is free (bays 4–9, up to 20 minutes). Picking one up costs £17 including VAT per departure on the day, or you can buy a book of pre-paid vouchers; operators paying on the day report to the coach station management office by bays 29–39. Between jobs, coaches hold in the layover area at the back of the station rather than circling.
| Terminal | Coach stand | Meet your group |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Drop-off bays 4–9; pick-up bays 32–39 (bay 29 for wheelchair-lift access) | Arrivals hall, then the bus & coach station opposite the terminal entrance |
“Our drivers drop your group in the free coach bays right outside the terminal, then hold in the layover area at the back of the coach station and pull onto a pick-up bay only once your party has cleared arrivals — so no one waits on a stand where a coach can stay no more than 20 minutes.”— Airport Coaches · first-person operational note
Terminals
Terminals & meeting points
Terminal (single passenger terminal)
Typical prices
What a group transfer at Stansted costs
Real one-way prices per vehicle, from the last two years of our quotes and bookings at Stansted Airport. "Typically" is the middle price of real quotes and bookings, and the range runs 20% either side of it.
- Minibus, up to 16 seats, central London: £260–£380*, typically £320
- Midi coach, up to 37 seats, central London: £420–£620*, typically £520
- Coach, up to 53 seats, central London: £540–£800*, typically £670
* Includes the airport’s permit, parking or drop-off charge for a normal pick-up or drop-off. Waiting time rates may apply.
Prices are subject to the time of year, the time of day and availability.
Pick-ups from the airport usually cost a little more than drop-offs, and early-morning pick-ups can cost more.
No VAT is charged on coach travel, so there is nothing to add.
No VAT is charged on minibus travel: like coaches, minibuses with 10 or more seats are zero-rated.
Our own prices, refreshed every month from real quotes and bookings. Last updated 1 October 2026.
Parking
Parking & drop-off
| Option | Type | Serves | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Set Down (barrierless drop-off) | drop off | T1 | £10 up to 15 min |
| Mid Stay car park (free drop-off + shuttle) | drop off | T1 | Free for 1 hour |
| Short Stay car park | short | T1 | £13 up to 30 min |
| Long Stay car park | long | T1 | book online |
| Bus & coach station (charter/group coaches) | coach | T1 | Free drop-off, £17 per departure |
Live at the airport
Arrivals & departures
| Flight | From | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading… | |||
Live board — the same flight feed that powers our guides, fetched when you open the page. Switch between arrivals and departures above.
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Get a price for Stansted
Coaches typically £670* · Minibuses typically £320*
Per vehicle, one way, to central London. * Includes the airport’s permit, parking or drop-off charge for a normal pick-up or drop-off. Waiting time rates may apply. Prices are subject to the time of year, the time of day and availability.
Getting a group through the airport?
Every flight monitored. Every group met.
We run group coach and minibus transfers at London Stansted Airport — every inbound flight tracked, your party met and away without the wait.
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