3 hour change at Stansted

3 hour change at Stansted - Silver Round Coins on Brown Wooden Surface

I have a flight Funchal->London Stansted. After 3 hours I have another flight Stansted->Bologna. Is this enough time to do passport control and security check? Handbag+checkin done

Do I need to do passport control and again security control for second flight?



Best Answer

I need to do passport control and again security control for second flight?

Yes.

Is 3 hours enough?

No one knows. No connection is every guaranteed so best we can do is give you a likelihood. If all goes well 3 hours should be fine. Things that are most likely to go wrong:

  1. Significant delay or schedule change for your first flight
  2. Wait times at immigration. This depends a lot on your time of arrival and what else is happening. Recently very long wait times have been reported (example). It's unclear whether these are outliers or regular occurrences at the moment.
  3. Complication at immigration: if your paperwork (passport, visa, etc) are complicated or not fully in order, you may get a lot of question or they will need to double check some info.
  4. Security to re-enter. Again, recently there have been reports of very long wait times (example). Again, it's unclear whether this happens a lot. To mitigate this one, you can buy FastTrack access. I don't know whether this is actually faster, or just another marketing ploy.

Stansted recommends to be checked-in and head two security at least 2 hours before departure.

I'd say you have an about 90% chance of making it. However, if you miss it, you will likely lose your second ticket completely and may have to buy a new ticket on the spot and you are stuck in Stansted until the next available flight. Personally I don't do self connections under 4 hours, but that depends on your own risk tolerance.




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How much time do I need at Stansted Airport?

As a general guide, you will need to have checked in and be ready to go through security at least 2 hours before your flight departure time.

How long does it take to get through customs at Stansted Airport?

For a "small" airport with planes aiming for a quick turn round baggage is appaling. However, once through customs, the bus and train stations are 50ft in front of you and down a level. You should make it though in 2 hours.

What time does Stansted departures open?

London Stansted Airport is now open 24/7, with early morning flights scheduled as usual.

Do you have to go through passport control on connecting flights?

In almost all cases, if your bags are checked through to your final destination and you already have your onward boarding pass, you'll go through transit security when you land at your connecting airport instead of customs.



Changes to overnight access at London Stansted Airport




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