National Express is boosting capacity on services between Stansted Airport and London this weekend – amid rail disruption and increased demand for direct coach services.

With no direct rail link between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, the UK’s largest scheduled coach operator’s advanced bookings for travel on Sunday 20th October have jumped by over 50% compared to the same date in 2023*.

To meet increased demand, the nation’s favourite coach company has already added almost 2,000 extra seats to services between London and Stansted, providing customers with affordable, reliable public transport to and from the airport, and journeys taking as little as 45 minutes.

During the summer National Express introduced several improvements to services between the capital and Stansted Airport, including the addition of Tottenham Hale and Kings Cross St Pancras stops on its frequent, fast A8 service. The enhanced 45 minute service gives customers comfortable, faster transport choices, at great value prices.

John Boughton, Commercial Director for National Express UK and Ireland, said:

“As always, we’ve stepped up a gear to ensure people can get to and from London Stansted Airport this weekend, and it’s great to see that savvy travellers are choosing the reliable, affordable and sustainable option by travelling with National Express.

“With hundreds of frequent and fast services between London and Stansted we’re looking forward to providing more customers with comfortable, convenient transport, with drop-offs right at the airport terminal door.

“Every time there’s rail disruption, we see an increase in bookings as the public look for affordable and reliable ways to travel and when demand is high our lowest price tickets sell out quicker and earlier, so we always recommend booking in advance to get the best prices and to guarantee a seat for travel.”

National Express made the following improvements to London Stansted services this year:

• A6 increased from 26 to 45 journeys a day between Marble Arch, Paddington, Baker Street, St Johns Wood, Finchley Road, Golders Green and London Stansted Airport
• A7 increased from 20 to 49 journeys a day between London Victoria Coach Station, Victoria Rail Station, Waterloo, Southwark, Whitechapel, Mile End, Bow and London Stansted Airport
• A8 saw Kings Cross St Pancras, Farringdon and Barbican, and Tottenham stops added to the journey, also serving Liverpool Street and Shoreditch
• A9 increased from 40 to 50 journeys a day – dedicated service direct between London Stratford and London Stansted Airport

The enhanced services have increased journey options between the airport and London by nearly 25% – to almost 200 round trips per day. The improvements provide customers with more journeys to and from Waterloo and Southwark on an enhanced A7 service, with both stops served twice as often and services increased to every 30 minutes from every hour. 

The coach operator’s investment in providing reliable, affordable and sustainable coach travel between Stansted Airport and the capital follows a 25% increase in customers turning to National Express last year. Over 19 million customers travelled on its coach network during 2023, up from 15 million in 2022.

Customers can expect a safe and comfortable experience on board, with leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi, USB power sockets and a generous luggage allowance of up to 20kg. 

Visit www.nationalexpress.com to plan your journey and book tickets.

Transport & Logistics – Driving The Industry Forward