On this page (7 sections)
Who flies the route
easyJet flies Stansted to Amsterdam Schiphol direct, and on this route it is the only direct option from Stansted. Ryanair, the airport's largest airline, serves the Netherlands from Stansted through Eindhoven rather than Amsterdam, so for Schiphol you are looking at easyJet. With no second budget carrier going head to head on the route, fares tend to sit a little higher here than on the Irish and Scottish routes where Ryanair and easyJet compete.
Like the other low-cost routes, this is a hand-luggage-first product. A small personal item is included, but a larger cabin bag, a checked bag and a chosen seat are each extra, so the headline fare is rarely the final price. The airlines at Stansted page sets out what the fare does and does not include before you book.
How often it flies
Amsterdam runs at around 1 flight a day, roughly eight a week, with the first leaving near 07:35 and the last in the early evening around 20:15. That is a more modest schedule than the high-frequency domestic routes, so there is less room to switch to a later flight if you miss yours, and the popular morning and evening slots fill up. It is a year-round city-break route rather than a seasonal one.
The exact count moves a little with the season, so treat it as a guide. To see what is operating on your date, check the live departures board or easyJet directly, and confirm the departure times when you book rather than assuming a daily pattern holds every day of the week.
How long the flight takes
The flight takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. The airport's own Amsterdam page lists 1 hour 25 minutes and route databases put the air time closer to 1 hour 10, so the scheduled block sits between the two. One thing to keep in mind: Amsterdam is an hour ahead of the UK, so the time on the arrivals board is your departure time plus the flight plus that extra hour. The straight-line distance is around 225 miles.
Short as the flight is, the international legs at either end fill out the day. Add the trip to Stansted, the airport's recommended two-hour security buffer, passport control and the new border checks at Schiphol, and the train into the city. The air time is the smallest part of the total, so plan around the whole trip rather than the 1 hour 15.
Fares and how to book
One-way fares start at around £30 to £38 when you book ahead. That is higher than Dublin or Edinburgh, and the reason is straightforward: easyJet is the only direct carrier, so there is no budget rival pulling the price down. Fares are dynamic, climbing as the flight fills and as you near departure, and booking well in advance is the main way to keep the cost down on this route.
As with any low-cost flight, the fare on screen rarely includes a larger cabin bag, a checked bag or a chosen seat, and each of those is extra. Compare the all-in cost rather than the lead-in price, and book directly with the airline. The fares quoted here are indicative, so check the live price on the airline's own site before you commit.
Passports and the EU entry rules
Amsterdam is the first properly international trip in this set of routes, so the border rules matter in a way they do not on the UK and Ireland flights. The Netherlands is in the Schengen area, so you go through passport control in both directions. British citizens can visit visa-free for short stays under the 90-days-in-180 rule, but your passport must be issued less than 10 years before the day you travel and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.
Two EU systems are changing what happens at the border. The Entry/Exit System (EES) is now in operation: on arrival in the Schengen area your fingerprints and a photo are recorded, with nothing to do in advance and no fee. A separate travel authorisation, ETIAS, is expected later in 2026; once it starts, UK passport holders will need to apply and pay a fee of around 20 euros before travelling. Both are recent and still settling in, so check the current rules on gov.uk before you go, and see the passport control guide for how the border works on the way back into the UK.
Fly or take the Eurostar?
Amsterdam is one route where the train genuinely competes. The direct Eurostar from London St Pancras reaches Amsterdam Centraal in about 4 hours, city centre to city centre, and you clear passport control before boarding at St Pancras, so there is no border queue when you arrive. The flight wins in the air, but once you count the trip to Stansted, the security buffer and the checks at Schiphol, the door-to-door gap is much smaller than it looks.
The catch from Stansted is simple: the Eurostar does not leave from Stansted. It runs from central London, so it only helps if you are starting in town rather than out near the airport. Fly with easyJet if you are close to Stansted or the fare is low; take the train if you begin centrally and prefer the simpler, queue-free trip. If Stansted is your base, the wider Stansted route map shows the other European cities the airport reaches.
At Stansted, and getting into Amsterdam
At Stansted, be at security at least two hours before departure, the airport's own recommendation, and more during the early-morning peak. Your gate and satellite show on the departures board and vary by flight: most gates are reached by the airside transit, while Satellite 3 is a walk of around 15 minutes, so check the board and leave time. As an international flight, you will go through passport control at Schiphol on arrival, where the new EES checks apply.
Getting into the city at the far end is easy. Schiphol has a railway station directly under the terminal, with frequent trains to Amsterdam Centraal in about 15 to 20 minutes, so the airport-to-city leg is quick and cheap. For the trip to Stansted itself, the flight information hub links the live boards, check-in and the pre-flight detail.