London Gatwick Airport - LGW

Gatwick Airport Address

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Serving more than 32 million passengers per year, Gatwick Airport is London's second busiest airport. Nearly 100 airlines serve the airport. While passengers can travel around the world, Spain is the most popular destination. As the airport continues to grow, it stands a good chance of equaling Heathrow. Currently, Gatwick Airport has only one runway, which limits the number of planes that can land or take off at one time. Two terminals, North (operational in 1958) and South (operational in 1988) handle the busy traffic every day.

Gatwick Airport is located approximately thirty minutes south of London's Victoria Station. Regular train service is offered via Gatwick Express, comfortable trains that run every fifteen minutes usually. Gatwick Express leaves directly from the terminals and brings passengers into the heart of Victoria Station where passengers can then catch subways, buses, or trains to their final destination.

In July 2007, England became a smoke-free area. Smokers must go to designated areas outside of their terminal and get in a cigarette break before passing through security. Once a passenger has gone through security, smoking is prohibited in all areas. Arriving passengers must exit the building before they can have a cigarette. Stiff fines of up to £200 ($400) can be levied against lawbreakers. Those with cravings may find it easier to bring some nicotine gum or wear a nicotine patch.

Directions

Gatwick Airport is located twenty-eight miles south of London. One benefit to driving to the airport is that there are gas stations located at both the North Terminal and the South Terminal making it easy to fill up the tank before leaving the airport. Drivers will find that the airport is easily accessible to Junction 3 of the M23 or the A23 (London-Brighton Road). Airport signs are visible on all main roads and exits are clearly marked. Both the M23 and A23 link to Britain's M25 that travels throughout the United Kingdom.

North Terminal

Four floors make up the North Terminal. The lowest floor houses the domestic arrivals, a few shops and restaurants, and baggage claim for all arrivals coming from other areas in the United Kingdom. The second floor houses a number of different areas including: the Avenue (public area filled with shops and restaurants) and passport control. Once passengers go through passport control, only ticketed passengers can continue into the other floors of the airport. The front two areas on the third floor contain check-in and then lead to the departure lounges. Finally, the fourth floor also contains departure lounges. Shops, restaurants, and many services are located on both levels of the departure lounges.

North Terminal serves Adria Airways, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aer Lingus, Air Bosna, Air Comet, Air France, Air Namibia, Air Southwest, American Airlines, Astraeus, Astraeus Charter, Atlas Blue, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Clickair, Continental Airlines, Daallo Airlines, Delta Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, First Choice Airways, FlyJet, FlyLAL, GB Airways, Kibris Turkish Airlines, Malev, Nationwide, Sudan Airways, and Virgin Nigeria. Check-In is divided into six zones: Zone A/B (Delta, A2000, and Brit Air Charters), Zones C through F are for all other airlines. In addition, there are two check-in kiosks that passengers flying on British Airlines or GB Airways can use to check-in more efficiently.

South Terminal

The western side of the South Terminal connects with the Gatwick Train Station and shuttles to North terminal. Once passengers are through the covered hallway, they enter International Check-In. The southern side of this floor handles International arrivals and baggage claim. The remaining two areas are departure lounges. Many services, shops, and restaurants are found scattered around this floor. Upstairs there is a mix of public waiting areas (known as The Village) and other departure lounges. Only ticketed passengers can go into the departure lounges.

South Terminal serves African Safari Airways, Afrigiyah, Air Adriatic, Air Algerie, Air Baltic, Air Malta, Air Nostrum, Air Transat, Air Zimbabwe, Ajet, Aurigny, Azerbaijan Airlines, Belavia Belarusian Airlines, BH Air, BMI Baby, Bulgaria Air, Centralwings, Croatia Airlines, Cubana, easyJet, Estonian Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurocypria, First Choice Airways, Flybe, FlyGlobeSpan, Freebird, Futura International Airways, Germanwings, Ghana International Airlines, Jet2, Karthago, KD Avia, Meridiana Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Monarch Airlines Charter, MyTravel, Northwest Airlines, Nouvelair, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, Olympic Airways, Onur Air, Pulkovo, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, SAS, Sata International, SkyService, Sterling, TAP Air Portugal, Thomas Cook, ThomsonFly, Transaero Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, US Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, XL Airways, and Zoom Airlines. Passengers flying on Virgin Atlantic Airways can head online to check-in. This is the most efficient method for checking in and can save valuable time for those on a tight schedule.

Terminal Maps

North Terminal

South Terminal