Skylink Nottingham every 20 min 24/7; no on-site rail station.

There is no train station in the terminal. For Nottingham, board trentbarton’s Skylink Nottingham at the coach station beside the terminal — every 20 minutes, 24/7, via Long Eaton (airport service page / trentbarton). For Derby, Leicester and Loughborough use Skylink Derby (airport lists daytime every 15 minutes and hourly overnight). Buy with contactless, Mango or cash; adult Mango day caps on the trentbarton network are published at £7.90 after 09:00 Mon–Fri (and from 04:00 weekends/Bank Holidays) or £11.40 before 09:00 weekdays, and zigzag is an unlimited trentbartonland day ticket at £8.80 — confirm live fares in the trentbarton fare pages before you travel because cash singles vary by stage. East Midlands Parkway is about five miles away for long-distance rail; the airport points to Nottsbus On Demand for the station shuttle (check operating hours on Stagecoach’s Nottsbus page).

≤100 ml liquids stay packed; FastTrack from £5.99 from 03:00.

East Midlands Airport’s security advice (updated April 2026) lets liquids, gels and aerosols of 100 ml or less remain inside hand luggage without a clear bag. Anything over 100 ml per container is still refused, even if partly empty. Body scanners are mandatory on the standard lane. FastTrack is a paid dedicated lane from £5.99 online, advertised from 03:00 until the last departure — useful for 05:00–08:00 Jet2/Ryanair/TUI banks; skip it if the main queue is short.

Escape Lounge airside by Gate 17; PP/DragonPass; book peaks ahead.

After security and Duty Free, continue through the shopping area — Escape Lounge is on the ground level opposite Gate 17. Schema.org hours on the airport lounge page run from 03:30 with weekday closes between 17:00 and 18:30 (Saturday often 17:00; Tuesday/Sunday listed to 18:15). Pre-book from £33.99; walk-up from £49; infants 0–35 months free. Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey are accepted with pre-booking portals linked from the airport page — reserve on peak summer mornings. Food finishes about 30 minutes before listed close.

Rapid Drop-Off £5/15 min; Short Stay from £6/30 min; Arrow Cars desk.

Barrierless Rapid Drop-Off sits directly outside the terminal: up to 15 minutes £5, then £1 per further minute (airport pick-up & drop-off tables). Pay online or by phone to APCOA by midnight the next day or risk a £100 parking charge (£60 if paid within 14 days). Short Stay 1 is better if you want to walk in with someone (from £6 / 30 minutes; Blue Badge first 30 minutes free). Arrow Cars is the official private-hire operator with a desk in Arrivals (01332 814000) and fixed pre-paid fares.