Short Stay Blue

10–12 minute walk buys you the cheapest no-bus option.

Short Stay Blue at Stansted is the walkable short-stay car park for people who refuse the shuttle. It usually prices in as the cheapest option that still lets you walk to the terminal, with published drive-up rates around £59.99 per day, so prebooking is almost mandatory if you care about cost.

This is on-airport short stay, roughly a 10–12 minute walk from the terminal doors, depending on your pace and which row you land in. You park, grab your bags, follow the signed pedestrian route, and you’re inside the terminal with no waiting for a bus and no loading pushchairs onto a shuttle.

FlyerTalk regulars call Blue “the cheapest option without a bus” and use it as their default when they won’t pay for the closer zones. Drive-up is possible at the barrier, but the day rate of £59.99 adds up fast on longer trips, so most people lock it in online a few days ahead.

The trade-off: that same FlyerTalk thread also calls it a “tediously long walk from arrivals.” After a late Ryanair landing at 23:30 in rain with a 20 kg checked bag, the 10–12 minutes can feel longer, especially if you’ve parked toward the far end of the Blue rows.

Because it’s the budget-friendly walkable short stay, Blue can be busy at peak times, and you might end up hunting for a space in the outer sections. That can easily add 3–5 minutes to the walk versus landing a bay near the pedestrian exit.

Tip: if you pick Blue, pad your schedule by an extra 15 minutes each way for the walk and the occasional space hunt, and keep a lightweight bag setup so the trek back from arrivals doesn’t ruin the saving.