Exeter Airport

Bus to St Davids + train is the public default; weekend 4A gaps are the gotcha — budget a taxi if the timetable thins out.

Exeter Airport has no on-site rail. Stagecoach South West route 4A links the terminal with Exeter St Davids (airport: ~7 miles) and the city; route 43 serves Pinhoe rail station. Airport pages warn of limited 4A/43 service on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays — check the live Stagecoach timetable before a dawn Ryanair or a late TUI return. St Davids is the GWR mainline hub toward London Paddington / Plymouth; Exeter Central (~6 miles) is the South Western Railway option toward London Waterloo. Cranbrook station is closer (~3 miles) but taxi-only from the terminal. Official taxi: Apple Taxis Exeter 01392 666666 from the Arrivals desk / stands — other firms may only pick up from Car Park 1 when pre-booked.

Pack the clear liquids bag and pull the laptop; Fast Track only buys queue time.

Exeter has not moved to CT leave-in-bag screening on the published passenger-information rules: each liquid ≤100 ml, all liquids in one transparent resealable bag (~20×20 cm / ≤1 litre), bag sealed and presented separately, and laptops / large electronics removed for screening. Empty reusable bottles before the lane and buy or refill airside. Fast Track is a paid left-hand channel (kiosk or website voucher) — it skips the queue, not the rules. Airport guidance: allow roughly 15–45 minutes for security on busy banks and be ready to board 30 minutes before departure.

Real airside lounge with runway views — worth it on long TUI waits if PP covers you or £27.50 beats café prices.

After security, go through the restaurant and take the stairs to the first-floor Executive Lounge (airport directions). Paid entry is £27.50 per person on the shop-and-eat / lounge pages; book on the airport site or pay at the desk when space allows. Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, Lounge Pass, Diners Club and Holiday Extras bookings are listed as accepted. Max stay 3 hours; open from first check-in until last departure; groups capped at 6; no hen/stag parties. Soft drinks unlimited; alcohol capped at two complementary drinks per the airport’s CAA unruly-passenger policy. Hot food from the ground-floor restaurant is extra.

Use free P4 for a quick goodbye; anything longer belongs in a pre-booked bay, not on the forecourt.

Official drop-off/pick-up: Car Park P4 is free for 0–30 minutes (then paid); Car Park P1 opposite the main terminal is £8 for 0–15 minutes and £15 for 15–30 minutes on the drive-up tariff board. Stopping on terminal approach roads is banned (Airport Bylaw). Blue Badge holders can use marked bays in P1/P2 — airport pages allow up to 4 hours charged at the short stay rate after validating at the Car Park 2 office / exit help point (wording differs slightly between the transport and parking FAQs; bring the badge and use the intercom). No EV chargers on site (airport parking FAQ). Pre-book long stay in P1–P4 via the official booker; P3 is pre-book only.