Airports are suffering during the pandemic as are the airlines.
The former are, among other measures, having to economise by reducing runway and terminal capacity, as we have seen at London Heathrow.
And readers who are intending to use London Stansted must note the Essex airport has taken the drastic step of shutting up shop as early as 1700.
⛔ During the current period of significantly reduced flight schedules, @STN_Airport is closed overnight between 17:00 & 05:00.
Please be aware that during these hours there's NO access to the terminal building & you shouldn't arrive at the airport before 5:00am. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/Iwptk2Qw3B— London Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) March 26, 2021
It means Stansted is open only between the hours of 0500 and 1700. Its terminal building cannot be accessed outside these hours.
What about the Stansted Express? I checked the current schedule, and it shows three trains an hour throughout the day even when the terminal itself is closed.
In a Forum thread one reader referred to Stansted as being “far, very far from London.”
In fairness to Stansted I would point out that the Essex airport is just a couple of miles further from Central London than is Luton.
If travelling by road much will depend from where you originate in the London area.
The differences for those taking the train are that:
- Stansted has a dedicated train station whereas Luton does not
- Luton scores with frequent and faster trains to nearby Parkway station. Stansted suffers in that it has fewer trains, using slower tracks and hence a longer journey time.
However as with all travel-related news these arrangements are subject to change depending on when lockdown restrictions are eased.
