Travelling through London Stansted Airport at Christmas

Travel Advice for passengers over the festive period

We look forward to welcoming to our airport this Christmas - our teams are on hand to help your trip run as smoothly as possible. By following the advice below, you can aid us in making your journey through the airport a hassle-free experience:

Always allow the right amount of time before your flight. This is normally two hours before your flight, or three hours if you are travelling long-haul. We encourage all travellers to check-in only at the recommended time. Arriving too early can cause unnecessary queues. We also ask you to check that all your travel documents are up-to-date.

During the festive season, we advise you to plan your journey to the airport in advance. Unfortunately, people travelling to the airport both by public transport, and on the road network, could face disruption for a variety of reasons. For the latest travel information, click here.

Please see our below advice on preparing for security, it will help you avoid unnecessary delays at security. Please pay special attention if you are expecting to travel with Christmas presents or festive treats this year, not all items will be allowed in your hand luggage.

1. Christmas Crackers

Rules regarding travelling with crackers vary depending on your airline and y your destination. If you’re planning to take Christmas crackers with you, check with your airline in advance as to whether they will be permitted.

2. Presents

Don’t bring wrapped presents through security. If your bag is selected for secondary screening during the security process, wrapped presents may need to be opened by a security officer for inspection, whether in your hand luggage or hold luggage. Wrap presents once you have reached your destination wherever possible.

3. Winter clothing

Take off coats / jackets and other winter wear before reaching security. Our security colleagues will always do their best to get you through as quickly however, you can help keep waiting times down by removing outer layers before you reach the front of the security queue, having them ready to put straight into a tray.

4. Liquids

Remember the liquids, gels and pastes rule for hand luggage. Ensure products in your hand luggage containing liquids, gels or pastes are in a clear, resealable bag and don’t exceed 100ml each.

This includes items that you may take away with you at this time of year for a taste of home or as a gift for a loved one – such as perfume, aftershave, make-up, condiments such as jams, butter and marmite, beverages and snow globes. If these exceed 100ml, pack them in your hold luggage. And remember that certain foods contain liquids!

Solid food in sealed packs is allowed through security, but if a food item contains a liquid, gel or paste, then the regular hand luggage rules may apply.

Mince pies and yule logs are fine, but Christmas puddings are very dense and can sometimes be flagged by our security scanners as a result, which means your bag would require a manual search. We advise they are packed in your hold luggage, for this reason.

For any passengers requiring assistance, please book this in advance where possible as we expect services to be busier.

Where to get refreshments?

Whilst you are in our airport terminals over the holiday period, some venues may be open at different times. Please see the special opening hours for all our cafés, restaurants, and lounges.

Wherever you are going this festive period we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year