Among the world's many air travelers, people have different approaches to taking a flight, from those who like to minimize time spent at the airport and thus arrive fairly close to the cut-off time to those who enjoy showing up early to make the most of the facilities. Either way, wherever you are in the world airport-wise, one thing that remains fairly unavoidable whatever your strategy is duty-free shopping. Strategically located directly between an airport's security checkpoints and its departure lounges, these retail paradises (or hellscapes, depending on personal preference) are a sensory overload filled with the sights, sounds, and even smells of capitalism.
Often located in windowless areas with no indicator as to the time of day, those who don't like shopping would happily pay to avoid them. Interestingly enough, at one major European airport, passengers can indeed do this. Skipping the queues at Stansted The facility in question is London Stansted Airport (STN), located just to the north of the capital city of the United Kingdom in the county of Essex.
Stansted often ranks among the busiest airports in the UK, and primarily serves low-cost and leisure traffic to short-haul destinations located throughout Europe. However, certain long-haul options are also available, such as Emirates' flights to Dubai (DXB). Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here ! Those familiar with the airport will know that Stansted can be a very busy.
