Official Short Stay Blue Zone Stansted Airport

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey are sister car parks, both managed by Stansted Airport itself. At each one you park the car yourself, keep your keys and walk to the terminal with no bus involved. There's no check-in either, because a number plate reader works the barriers, and both bookings are Semi-Flex.

The main difference is the walk. The airport gives it as 10 to 12 minutes from Official Short Stay Blue Zone and 5 to 8 minutes from Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey, whose route to the terminal is covered. That's worth more than it sounds when you're wheeling cases back to the car late at night in the rain.

Height could settle it for some drivers. Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey has a 2m limit, as all the airport's multi-storeys do, so anything taller can't use it.

Verdict: If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper for your dates and a few extra minutes on foot don't bother you, it's probably an easy call. Where Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey is cheaper, or the price difference is small, the shorter, covered walk is probably worth having.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey was £89.99 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Short Stay Green Multi-Storey is £10.00 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

With Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Short Stay Premium Orange, you stay in charge of the car: you park it yourself, keep your keys and walk to the terminal at Stansted. A number plate reader lifts the barrier at both, and both are booked as Semi-Flex.

The main difference is how far you walk. Official Short Stay Premium Orange is the closest Short Stay car park to the terminal, according to the airport, with a walk of 1 to 4 minutes. From Official Short Stay Blue Zone, the airport gives 10 to 12 minutes.

A delayed flight home is the other thing to weigh up. The airport's FAQ says you can leave up to 6 hours late on an Official Short Stay Blue Zone booking at no charge. Its terms give Official Short Stay Premium Orange no such grace period: the booking ends at your exit time, and extra time is charged at the turn-up tariff.

Blue Badge holders have a separate reason to look at Official Short Stay Premium Orange. The airport lists it with Blue Badge bays, and says works mean none are available in Official Short Stay Blue Zone throughout November 2026.

The upside to Official Short Stay Blue Zone is that it isn't a premium zone, and premium zones usually cost more, leaving you to weigh up what those extra minutes are worth.

Verdict: Tight for time, or need a Blue Badge bay in November 2026? Official Short Stay Premium Orange is probably the one. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper and you're comfortable with the longer walk, it's probably the better value, with some cover for a late flight thrown in.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Short Stay Premium Orange was £99.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Short Stay Premium Orange is £19.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Short Stay Premium Yellow are self-park, keep-your-keys car parks at Stansted with no check-in, and you reach the terminal on foot. Neither is built for a quick dash on a pre-booked rate: the shortest stay you can pre-book at Official Short Stay Blue Zone is 24 hours, and Official Short Stay Premium Yellow has a 24-hour minimum charge with no refund for a shorter stay.

The main difference is where you end up on the way home. The airport says Official Short Stay Premium Yellow is right next to the Arrivals area, with a walk of 1 to 4 minutes, so you're at the car soon after you're through. Official Short Stay Blue Zone is 10 to 12 minutes on foot, along a walkway with help points, and help is available 24 hours a day.

Official Short Stay Premium Yellow also has less give if you're back late. The airport's terms give it no 6-hour grace period, and any extra time is charged at the turn-up tariff, whereas the airport's FAQ lets you leave up to 6 hours late on an Official Short Stay Blue Zone booking at no charge.

Verdict: After a late landing with tired children, Official Short Stay Premium Yellow's spot beside Arrivals may be worth the extra to you - it's a judgement call. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper for your dates, a 10 to 12 minute walk is probably a fair trade. If Official Short Stay Premium Yellow turns out cheaper, it's probably an easy call in its favour, unless you're worried about a delayed flight home.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Short Stay Premium Yellow was £119.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Short Stay Premium Yellow is £39.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Stansted Airport manages Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Short Stay Premium Red itself, and it says all its car parks have been awarded Park Mark accreditation. Both have CCTV, floodlighting, number plate barriers and regular staff patrols, and you keep your keys at both.

The main difference is the distance to check-in. The airport says Official Short Stay Premium Red is right next to the terminal, with a walk of 1 to 4 minutes. Official Short Stay Blue Zone is further out, and the airport puts that walk at 10 to 12 minutes. On an early flight, or with heavy bags, that could be the difference between a relaxed start and a rushed one.

The rules on late returns also differ. Official Short Stay Premium Red has no 6-hour grace period under the airport's terms, so your booking ends at the exit time and anything over is charged at the turn-up tariff. The airport's FAQ allows up to 6 hours at no charge on Official Short Stay Blue Zone, and after that its terms set a charge of £70 a day.

Verdict: If being next to the terminal is what you're paying for, Official Short Stay Premium Red is probably worth a small price difference. Where Official Short Stay Blue Zone is noticeably cheaper and the walk doesn't worry you, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably the better value.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Short Stay Premium Red was £119.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Short Stay Premium Red is £39.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

With Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Mid Stay Car Park, you park the car yourself in one of Stansted Airport's own car parks, keep your keys and need no check-in. The airport's FAQ lets you arrive up to 6 hours early or leave up to 6 hours late at both, at no charge, and both are Semi-Flex.

The main difference is bus or no bus. From Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you walk to the terminal in 10 to 12 minutes. At Official Mid Stay Car Park, you walk to the nearest bus stop and take a free shuttle that runs 24 hours a day, with a journey of about 7 minutes. It runs every 10 minutes, and the airport's Blue Badge page says to allow up to 20 minutes to transfer each way.

Length of stay can make this decision for you. Official Mid Stay Car Park has a 3-day minimum, subject to availability, while the airport says Short Stay has no minimum and the shortest stay you can pre-book at Official Short Stay Blue Zone is 24 hours. Overstaying beyond the 6 hours costs £48 a day at Official Mid Stay Car Park and £70 a day at Official Short Stay Blue Zone on the airport's terms.

The upside to Official Mid Stay Car Park is that a car park served by a bus usually costs less than one you can walk from, leaving you to weigh up the saving against the shuttle.

Verdict: Away for a night or two? Official Short Stay Blue Zone is the one, as Official Mid Stay Car Park's minimum rules it out. On a longer trip, where Official Mid Stay Car Park is cheaper, the shuttle is probably a fair price for the saving. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper, it's probably an easy call, because you skip the bus.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Mid Stay Car Park was £69.99 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Mid Stay Car Park is £10.00 cheaper than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Long Stay Car Park are both self-park at Stansted, and you keep your keys. A number plate reader opens the barrier on the way in and out, and both are managed by the airport.

The main difference is how you get to the terminal. Official Short Stay Blue Zone is a walk of 10 to 12 minutes, so you set your own timetable. At Official Long Stay Car Park, you walk to a bus stop and catch a free shuttle, which runs 24 hours a day, every 15 minutes. Coming back, you need the bus for your zone of the car park. If a bus pulls away just as you reach the stop, that's up to 15 minutes gone, so allow for it before an early flight.

Official Long Stay Car Park also has a 5-day minimum stay, subject to availability, and it's pre-book only. The airport says Short Stay has no minimum, so a short trip belongs at Official Short Stay Blue Zone anyway. If you're driving something tall, Official Long Stay Car Park has a 3.5m height limit.

The upside to Official Long Stay Car Park is that a bus-served car park built for long trips usually works out cheaper than a Short Stay zone, leaving you to weigh up whether that's worth the extra time on the shuttle.

Verdict: Going away for less than 5 days? It's Official Short Stay Blue Zone. For a week or more, where Official Long Stay Car Park is cheaper, it probably makes sense to choose it if you've got time for the bus. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper or the price difference is small, walking there and back is probably worth it.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Long Stay Car Park was £72.99 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Long Stay Car Park is £7.00 cheaper than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Official Meet & Greet are both Stansted Airport's own products, and there's no shuttle with either: you walk to the terminal. The airport says both hold Park Mark accreditation.

The main difference is who parks the car. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you take any space, keep your keys and walk 10 to 12 minutes. At Official Meet & Greet, you drive to a dedicated area of the Short Stay car park beside the terminal, park in the lane staff direct you to, lock up and take your keys to the reception. A driver then parks the car, and when you return, you collect your keys from that reception, with the car waiting close by.

Some drivers don't like handing over their keys. On that point, the airport says its Official Meet & Greet drivers are fully qualified and insured, and that cars are kept in a secure on-airport car park with CCTV, patrols, fencing and floodlights.

It also suits Blue Badge holders, with a dedicated drop-off area close to the terminal, while the airport says works mean no Blue Badge bays are available in Official Short Stay Blue Zone throughout November 2026.

Verdict: Reduced mobility, heavy bags or an early start? Official Meet & Greet is probably the better choice. If keeping your keys matters to you, or Official Short Stay Blue Zone is noticeably cheaper for your dates, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably the better choice.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Official Meet & Greet was £77.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Official Meet & Greet is £2.99 cheaper than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

With Official Short Stay Blue Zone and I Love Meet & Greet, there's no transfer bus at Stansted: you walk to the terminal from where you leave the car. Both refuse commercial vehicles.

The main difference is the handover. With I Love Meet & Greet, you ring 10 minutes out, follow the Express Set Down signs to Zone C on the terminal road and hand the car to a chauffeur, about a 2-minute walk from the terminal. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you park it yourself and walk for 10 to 12 minutes.

If leaving your keys with someone is the sticking point, drivers at I Love Meet & Greet are fully insured, and the storage site has barrier access, fencing, CCTV and 24-hour uniformed staff and patrols. If you drive a car that starts from an app, a key of some form must still be left, or a charge applies for each day.

Quoted prices at I Love Meet & Greet include the airport access fee, and Express Set Down is the airport's paid forecourt, at £10 for up to 15 minutes. There are no barriers or payment machines there, so you pay online or by phone by midnight the day after. Booking is also different: I Love Meet & Greet is Flexible, up to 24 hours before your parking period begins, and Official Short Stay Blue Zone is Semi-Flex.

The upside to Official Short Stay Blue Zone is that a self-park space usually costs less than a chauffeur, leaving you to decide whether the door-to-door feel is worth paying for.

Verdict: Where the price difference is small, I Love Meet & Greet's handover by the terminal is probably worth it, particularly with children or heavy bags. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is noticeably cheaper and you're happy to walk, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably the better value.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows I Love Meet & Greet was £135.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So I Love Meet & Greet is £55.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and APH Meet & Greet both leave you walking to the terminal rather than waiting for a bus at Stansted, and neither takes commercial vehicles.

The main difference is where the car goes and who takes it. APH Meet & Greet is run on behalf of APH by I Love Meet & Greet. You ring the number on your confirmation about 10 minutes out, drive to Zone C in Express Set Down and hand your keys to the chauffeur, then it's about a 2-minute walk. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you keep your keys, and the walk is 10 to 12 minutes.

Coming home works differently too. At APH Meet & Greet, you call after customs and baggage, and the chauffeur brings the car to the Zone C forecourt. You then have 10 minutes to leave. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you walk back and the barrier reads your plate on the way out, with an intercom there if it fails.

There's a fee to allow for. The APH Meet & Greet price includes the airport access booking fee but not the £10 exit fee, which you pay the airport online. APH Meet & Greet is Flexible, up to 24 hours before your parking period begins, while Official Short Stay Blue Zone is Semi-Flex.

Verdict: If a handover at the terminal is what you want, APH Meet & Greet is probably worth it where the price difference is small, even with the exit fee. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper by more than that, and you don't mind parking and walking, it's probably an easy call in favour of Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows APH Meet & Greet was £140.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So APH Meet & Greet is £60.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

With Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Bubble Meet & Greet, you get to the terminal on foot rather than by shuttle at Stansted. Both turn away commercial vehicles and need the car to fit a 2.4m by 4.8m bay.

The main difference is that Bubble Meet & Greet takes the parking off your hands. It's a brand delivered by I Love Meet & Greet: you ring when you're 10 minutes away, follow Express Set Down signs to Zone C, and a chauffeur meets you, leaving a walk of about 1 minute. You keep your keys at Official Short Stay Blue Zone, but you've got 10 to 12 minutes on foot.

On your return, Bubble Meet & Greet's chauffeur brings the car to the forecourt once you've called, and it can stay there for no more than 10 minutes. The airport's excess fee of £50 is the risk if you don't collect within that time. Express Set Down itself has an airport charge of £10 for up to 15 minutes, paid online or by phone by midnight the day after your visit. Official Short Stay Blue Zone has none of that to think about, because you leave through a barrier that reads your plate.

If you're worried about a stranger driving your car, Bubble Meet & Greet's drivers are fully insured, and the storage site has fencing, barrier-controlled access, CCTV and 24-hour on-site staff.

Verdict: Short walk, no parking, and someone to help with loading if you ask? Bubble Meet & Greet is probably worth it where the price difference is small. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is noticeably cheaper, or you'd rather not juggle forecourt timings and charges, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably the better fit.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Bubble Meet & Greet was £133.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Bubble Meet & Greet is £53.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and I Love Meet & Greet with Valet both spare you a shuttle bus at Stansted, since you go to check-in on foot from where you leave the car.

The main difference is how much is done for you. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you park it, keep your keys and walk 10 to 12 minutes. With I Love Meet & Greet with Valet, you ring 10 minutes out, a chauffeur takes the car at Zone C in Express Set Down, and, as the name says, a valet is part of the booking. When you're back, the chauffeur brings the car to the same forecourt.

Handing over the keys is the part some people don't like. I Love Meet & Greet with Valet's drivers are fully insured, the site has round-the-clock staff, CCTV and a fenced perimeter, and keys are kept in a secure key safe. Anyone with an app-operated car still has to leave a key of some form, or pay a daily charge.

The upside to Official Short Stay Blue Zone is that it's plain parking, with no valet to pay for, and a valet add-on usually costs more.

Verdict: If coming home to a valeted car and a terminal handover appeals, I Love Meet & Greet with Valet may be worth the extra to you - it's a judgement call. If you only need somewhere to leave the car, Official Short Stay Blue Zone probably does the job.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows I Love Meet & Greet with Valet was £160.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So I Love Meet & Greet with Valet is £80.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and I Love Park & Ride both take standard-sized vehicles that fit a normal bay and refuse commercial ones. Both have CCTV and barrier-controlled entry at Stansted.

The main difference is pretty much everything between the car and the terminal. At I Love Park & Ride, on Thremhall Avenue, you park in a customer bay, hand over your keys at reception and take an on-demand transfer bus, which runs 24 hours a day. The car may be moved to another I Love car park while you're away. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you park it, lock it, keep your keys and walk to the terminal in 10 to 12 minutes.

The way home is where you'll notice it. With I Love Park & Ride, you call from arrivals and meet the bus in Zone C on the forecourt, and it can't wait more than 5 minutes, so you need to be ready. Your keys are then at reception. From Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you just walk back to the car.

The upside to I Love Park & Ride is that a park and ride usually works out cheaper than a Short Stay zone, leaving you to weigh up the saving against the keys and the bus. It's also Flexible, up to 24 hours before your parking period begins, where Official Short Stay Blue Zone is Semi-Flex.

Verdict: If keeping your keys and walking at your own pace matter to you, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is the one. If I Love Park & Ride is noticeably cheaper for your dates and neither the handover nor the bus bothers you, I Love Park & Ride is probably the better value.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows I Love Park & Ride was £77.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So I Love Park & Ride is £2.99 cheaper than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and APH Park & Ride both turn away commercial vehicles, and both have CCTV and barriers at the entrance to the car park at Stansted.

The main difference is keys and a minibus. APH Park & Ride is on Thremhall Avenue, just over a mile from the terminal. You park in a customer bay, confirm the booking at reception, leave your keys and take an on-demand minibus for about 5 minutes. It's included in the price, and so is the airport access fee. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you keep your keys and walk for 10 to 12 minutes instead.

So it comes down to whether you'd prefer to walk or be driven, and whether you mind fully insured drivers having your keys. If cases are the worry, staff at APH Park & Ride help load and unload luggage, and the site has 24/7 staff.

Verdict: For a driver with heavy bags who doesn't mind leaving keys, APH Park & Ride is probably the better choice wherever it's cheaper. If Official Short Stay Blue Zone is cheaper, or the price difference is small and you'd rather keep your keys, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably an easy call.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows APH Park & Ride was £80.00 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So APH Park & Ride is £0.01 more expensive than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.

Official Short Stay Blue Zone and Maple Parking both ask that the car fits a standard 2.4m by 4.8m space at Stansted. They both have CCTV and floodlighting.

The main difference is that Maple Parking runs its own car park on Thremhall Avenue, next to the Express by Holiday Inn. Staff greet you, take your keys and photograph the car in an inspection that usually takes 3 to 4 minutes, then a bus takes around 5 minutes to the terminal. At Official Short Stay Blue Zone, you deal with nobody at all: the barrier reads your plate, you park, keep your keys and walk for 10 to 12 minutes.

If you're uneasy about the keys, Maple Parking says its drivers are fully insured, and its staff and drivers are CRB-checked. The car has to be roadworthy, with valid road tax and an MOT, or Maple Parking won't drive it and gives no refund.

The transfer at Maple Parking covers up to 4 passengers, and each extra one costs £5, paid locally. It's Flexible, up to 24 hours before your parking period begins, and Official Short Stay Blue Zone is Semi-Flex.

Verdict: If Maple Parking is noticeably cheaper for your dates and you're happy with a handover and a short bus ride, Maple Parking probably makes sense. For a bigger group, or if you'd rather keep your keys, Official Short Stay Blue Zone is probably worth paying a little more for.

Our current price snapshot (a 7-day stay, from 16th Nov to 23rd Nov 2026) shows Maple Parking was £67.99 whilst Official Short Stay Blue Zone was £79.99. So Maple Parking is £12.00 cheaper than Official Short Stay Blue Zone.