Stansted Airport Express Set Down parking fine: rules, free time and how to appeal

Stansted Airport Express Set Down is an airport car park serving London Stansted Airport in Stansted, on Bassingbourn Road, Stansted Airport (CM24 1QW). Parking here is managed by APCOA Parking, a private operator and member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so a ticket from this car park is a private Parking Charge Notice, not a council fine.

APCOA Parking enforces the rules at Stansted Airport Express Set Down using number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that log the time you drive in and out. If you got a charge here it will usually have arrived by post, addressed to the registered keeper, and the times on it are camera times, not the time you parked.

The rules at Stansted Airport Express Set Down

There is no free period at Stansted Airport Express Set Down: you pay from the moment you arrive. The maximum stay is 30 minutes.

The tariff we recorded is: £10 for up to 15 minutes, £28 for 15-30 minutes; stays over 30 minutes not permitted. You can pay by online or by phone by midnight the day after your visit. Because the cameras match payments to your registration, the registration you enter has to match your vehicle exactly.

This is a short-stay area, with permitted stays of 30 minutes or less. The codes allow short-stay sites to skip the usual 10-minute grace period, so tight timings matter more here than at a normal car park.

Express Set Down is the barrierless drop-off area beside the terminal, run for Manchester Airports Group by APCOA. There are no machines; your plate is read on entry and the fee must be paid online or by phone by the end of the following day, otherwise a £100 charge (£60 if paid within 14 days) is sent to the keeper. The fee went up to £10 for 15 minutes from 16 March 2026. A June 2026 forum case involved a driver who said APCOA refused a late phone payment of the fee; forum members said APCOA often cancels these after a short appeal, with POPLA as the next step. The free option is the Mid Stay car park, which allows up to an hour with a shuttle.

How to appeal a charge at Stansted Airport Express Set Down

1. Don't ignore it. Note the date on the notice: you normally have 28 days to appeal to APCOA Parking, and 14 days to pay at the reduced rate if you decide to pay.
2. Gather evidence: photos of the signs and where you parked at Stansted Airport Express Set Down, receipts, payment records, and anything that explains why you stayed longer.
3. Appeal to APCOA Parking in writing. Keep to the facts and keep a copy. If you were not driving, you don't have to say who was.
4. If APCOA Parking rejects your appeal, it must give you a code to appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service for BPA members. POPLA appeals are free, and you have 28 days from the rejection to use the code.

If you were dropping off or picking up

Airport drop-off zones are usually short-stay, with charges that start after a few minutes. If you were held up by traffic inside the airport road system, or the barrier or payment system failed, say so and give times.

Check whether the charge is a private Parking Charge Notice from APCOA Parking or a fee you were meant to pay online by midnight the next day. They are different, and the second is often paid late rather than not at all.

Common reasons charges here get cancelled

• A few minutes over the limitThe cameras time your whole visit, from the entrance to the exit. With a 30 minutes limit at Stansted Airport Express Set Down, an overstay of up to about 15 minutes is often inside the consideration and grace periods the code requires.
• You paid, but something went wrongPaying with a typo in your registration, or when online or by phone by midnight the day after your visit failed, is covered by the codes. Send your payment record; a minor keying error should lead to cancellation.
• Reported at this car parkNot paying by the following midnight because there are no machines or barriers
• Reported at this car parkUnclear signage about paying after the visit
• Reported at this car parkFee rose to £10 in March 2026, catching out regular users
• Signs you couldn't reasonably seeThe terms are a contract formed by the signs at Stansted Airport Express Set Down. If the entrance sign was missing, hidden or unreadable, photograph it from the driver's position; the codes set rules for size, placement and wording.

Get an appeal letter for Stansted Airport Express Set Down

Written for you from your check, addressed to APCOA Parking with this car park's details already filled in.

• First appeal, plus the POPLA appeal if it's rejected
• Late-appeal and £20-reduction letters included
• Edit it, then download as Word or PDF, or copy into the appeal form
• Full refund within 14 days, no questions

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A document-preparation service, not legal advice. Your details stay on your device.

Questions about parking at Stansted Airport Express Set Down

How long can you park at Stansted Airport Express Set Down?

The maximum stay is 30 minutes.

Who runs Stansted Airport Express Set Down car park?

APCOA Parking manages the parking for London Stansted Airport. It's a member of the BPA, so appeals go to APCOA Parking first and then to POPLA.

Is Stansted Airport Express Set Down car park free?

No. The tariff is: £10 for up to 15 minutes, £28 for 15-30 minutes; stays over 30 minutes not permitted.

Can I appeal a APCOA Parking charge at Stansted Airport Express Set Down?

Yes. Appeal to APCOA Parking within 28 days, with evidence. If it's rejected you can go to POPLA for free. Paying doesn't stop you appealing first, but the reduced rate usually only applies in the first 14 days.

Does Stansted Airport Express Set Down have parking cameras?

Yes, APCOA Parking uses ANPR cameras here. They record your registration and the time you enter and leave, and charges are posted to the registered keeper.

Last checked on 31 October 2026, from the operator's website (APCOA Stansted help centre notice (Mar 2026); ftla.uk thread Jun 2026; ITV Jul 2026; POSTCODE CM24 1QW postcode confirmed via Jet2 airport info (from memory, official page blocked) - check before publishing). Signs and rules change, so the signs on the day are what count. Spotted something different? Report a change.