Dropping off and collecting people at Stansted

unforeseen

Raymondo111 wrote: »

The only thing with this is that you have to pay £3.50 and are limited to 10 minutes so not good if there is a last minute problem!!

That is why she doesn't call until she has all her baggage and is on the verge of walking out the doors. It only works 5-10 mins to get from the services. It doesn't hurt her to hang around. You are guaranteed only paying £3.50. Using other carparks could be costlier if there is a last-minute hitch such as delayed flight.

Tunstallstoven

Thanks turnupforthebooks - that's very helpful indeed.

Do you/anyone know if there is a "no return in ??? minutes/hours" for the Mid Stay Pick Up Zone? Or can you go in and out at will?

Ta

unforeseen

But I'm not. If you actually read and understood what I do you would realise that I don't move from the services until she is virtually at the terminal doors.

I don't sit in the car either. I have a coffee and maybe a meal if I have time. All she has to do when I arrive is cross the road, throw her bags in the back of the car and we leave.

Unless something major happens in the 3 minutes that I am in the drop off / pick up area then there is absolutely no chance of overrunning the 10 mins slot

I also do similar for JLA in Liverpool. My vehicle does not go onto airport land until the person is ready.

the_gardener_2

To be honest with all the agro why not just let daughter get bus to somewhere ? pick up from there. Easybus do Nat Exp tickets cheap in advance. Think about car fuel costs. I got the bus into STN the other morning and the queue of cars (I assume dropping off) was significant. The bus had to do a detour to get into the bus drop off .


The pick up charge is an attempt at congestion control . I suspect the emergency services have some influence on the matter.


Look at a map and some of the local country lanes where you can hold up waiting for a phone call. Make sure phone call is after daughter has cleared customs.

Tunstallstoven

Thanks again for all the help. I think we're all good now for the pick up and we have our plan. However, recent news means things are a bit more nerve-racking in general with both the flight out and the flight home, but I've started a new thread for that. If anyone can offer any help there, that would be great.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/72943474#Comment_72943474

unforeseen

Turnupforthebooks, I don't think the extra mile or two driving around Birchhanger will make much difference to the cost of my 300 mile round trip to pick up and drop. Being local then you can actually plan your timings better than I can. There are so many things to go wrong when driving 150miles of M6/A14. So I have to allow a sufficient margin. Hanging around an airport with the associated parking costs because I've had a good run is not an option.

Before people ask, the reason I am using Stansted is that it is only one of two UK airports that have flights to my daughter's location, the other being Gatwick. The only other option would be a 200km bus/train journey to get to an airport that flies into a closer UK airport.

unforeseen

She's not back until Dec now, though we go to see her in Oct

ETA
She won't fly into Stansted in Dec. She will use Ryanair's Winter service into Manchester. Free pickup and drop off there.

Jimmithecat

unforeseen wrote: »

I don't sit in the car either. I have a coffee and maybe a meal if I have time. All she has to do when I arrive is cross the road, throw her bags in the back of the car and we leave.

Unless something major happens in the 3 minutes that I am in the drop off / pick up area then there is absolutely no chance of overrunning the 10 mins slot

As a regular to stansted myself this is what I do - coffee and parking at Starbucks 4 minutes drive away - passenger calls after they have cleared passport control and their baggage is collected - I drive to collect them at the pick up/drop off zone - pay my £3.50 exit fee - easy peasy
Not the most money saving method but completely stress free:T

Haylescom

I'm glad you have a plan Seagull. Please try and avoid parking up on the country roads; people think they've found a suitable spot but have no idea the chaos it causes, particularly on Hall Road where we've had another accident today and a fatal pedestrian Vs car a few months back.
There's a nice pub in Molehill Green where you could stop for lunch or a coffee and await the phone call, you'd be less than 5 minutes away.