Long Stay Airport Parking

£71.99 a day and a 15-minute bus ride sums this up

Long Stay Airport Parking at Stansted is the on-airport budget play: cheaper than Mid Stay and Short Stay when you pre-book, but with trade-offs. The official daily drive-up rate hits around £71.99, yet advance online deals undercut the closer car parks by a decent margin, especially for week-plus trips. Think of it as the place you park when price matters more than shaving minutes.

The shuttle takes around 15 minutes each way between Long Stay and the terminal, and FlyerTalk regulars call it “slow either way.” Buses run less often than from Mid Stay, so you can be standing at the stop longer, especially late at night or before 06:00. The site itself is big and spread out, so you might add a few extra minutes walking from your space to the nearest stop.

Reviews describe Long Stay as “definitely the budget option,” with frugal flyers using it mainly for 7+ day leisure trips where a slower shuttle doesn’t ruin the plan. Business travellers on tight schedules tend to pay more for Mid Stay or Short Stay to cut the transfer time to roughly half. Many regulars only touch Long Stay when a comparison site shows a clear saving over the closer lots.

Watch out for: early-morning and late-night returns. People complain about standing around with luggage waiting for the bus after a 23:00 landing, then facing a 15-minute run back to the car. The remote feel and basic setup add to the grind when you’re tired and just want to get on the M11.

• Pro tip: pre-book Long Stay well in advance, then add at least 30 extra minutes to your normal airport arrival time to cover slower buses and the bigger car park.