London Gatwick Airport (LGW) Flights & Flight Status

London Gatwick (LGW) is the UK’s second major airport, located southeast of London, and is a major international hub. Despite this, it’s served by just one operating runway (there are actually two functional runways but they’re so close together they can’t be used at the same time.)

Don’t be fooled though, Gatwick is classed as the busiest single runway airport in Europe and serves around 40 million passengers a year. That makes it big and busy, and that single runway also means it has one of the worst records for delayed flights in the UK. A study of 2023 Civil Aviation Authority data showed more than one in ten flights to and from Gatwick were delayed by over an hour – more than double that of neighboring Heathrow Airport – while the average delay time was around half an hour. Happily, its terminals are packed with facilities and amenities to keep you fed, watered and entertained while you wait.

Arriving at London Gatwick

Gatwick is split into two terminals – North and South – connected by a free-to-use elevated tramway.

If you’re arriving by car, you can head direct to the relevant terminal with easy parking and eye-wateringly expensive pickup dropoff charges. If you’re traveling by train, you’ll arrive in the South Terminal, a couple of minutes walk from departures and arrivals. It’s a five minute walk to the elevated tramway that will take you to the North Terminal.

The best way to get to and from London Gatwick

Gatwick is undoubtedly the best connected airport in the UK. When I’m using a rental car, or especially if I’m catching a train, and aren’t traveling directly to or from London, it’s always my first choice. The in-terminal train station connects directly to 120 railway stations around the UK and more than 700 with just one change. South coast hubs like Brighton and Portsmouth are particularly convenient – in not much more than an hour you can find yourself standing on pebble beaches looking out over the Channel towards France.

If you are traveling to and from London, the Gatwick Express is the fast rail service. Connecting directly to London Victoria train and bus station (a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace), it takes around 30 minutes. I think it’s overpriced though and prefer to take the Thameslink or Southern regional trains. They take around 15 minutes longer but are close to half the price. They also stop at several convenient transport hubs en route, including Clapham Junction – great for onward travel or if you’re not staying in central London.

Unless you have so much luggage that public transport isn’t an option, avoid taking taxis into and out of London. Gatwick is more than 20 miles outside of the city and commuting by car is time consuming, tedious and expensive. You should give yourself at least 90 minutes and more during rush hour times – from around 6.30am to 9am and 4.30pm to 6pm.

If you do opt for a taxi, rideshare services like Uber and FreeNow offer much cheaper, if less ‘authentic London’, journeys than the classic black cabs. Pickup points for rideshares can be a bit tricky to find in the airport – some are located on certain levels of the short term parking garages. Keep an eye out for clusters of tourists impatiently staring at their phones looking tired and confused and you’ll likely be in the right place.

Car rental recommendations

Gatwick offers all the typical major car rental options, plus a few less reputable cheaper companies. All of the main players are conveniently located on site at the South Terminal, while Hertz also has a dedicated North Terminal desk. This means no tedious shuttle bus ride to a remote car park to collect your vehicle, unlike with most UK airports.

While prices inevitably vary depending on what you book, when and for how long, my go-to is budget operator Drivalia, which has a dedicated office in the Sofitel Gatwick directly outside the North terminal arrivals.

Navigating check in, bag drop and security

Despite its passenger numbers and reputation for flight delays, getting through security is a pretty slick operation at Gatwick. In my experience, security usually takes around 15 minutes to navigate – when things are running properly. If it’s very busy and you’re worried about time, you can buy a Fast Track pass on the spot for the price of a cup of coffee. It’s a trick that has saved me more than once.

As of summer 2024, Gatwick is running several next-gen bag scanners at both terminals and expects to have upgraded all scanners by mid 2025. Find yourself in one of these lines and you won’t need to remove laptops and liquids (though the 100ml rule is still in effect, sadly) from your bags. This is already speeding security checks up significantly across the entire airport. Unfortunately, at the moment it’s still pot luck whether you end up in the line for a new or old scanner, unless you have priority lane access from airline status or premium cabin tickets.

Bag drop is an altogether more draining affair and queues can often move slowly. On the times I’ve checked bags (I’m mostly a carry-on kind of traveler), I’ve found the self-service machines to weigh and tag my bags have had little to no impact on the queues to actually drop them off. The sheer number of passengers passing through means you should give yourself an hour for bag drop to be absolutely sure.

Queueing is an inevitability at all airports, and Gatwick is no different. Indeed, it’s better than most and especially its main rival for business, Heathrow airport. Try to avoid peak passenger times between 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm when queues are inevitably longer and you should have little difficulty getting to your gate.

Pick your terminal

Gatwick’s two terminals serve mostly different airlines, although there is some crossover so it’s important to check your specific flight rather than just the airline when working out which you’re flying from. EasyJet and Tui use both terminals, the former being by far the largest operator at the airport running around 120 routes. Most EasyJet flights operate from the North Terminal (its UK hub) but if your flight number is between 6300 and 6599 inclusive, you’ll be using the South Terminal.

It takes just two or three minutes to travel between terminals on the free elevated tramway. Shuttles come every few minutes with a countdown board showing the next arrival, making it one of the easiest airports to transfer through, despite its size and near-constant crowds.

While Gatwick serves around ten US and plenty of other long haul destinations, its main market is Europe. That’s made it a hub for low-cost airlines like Wizz Air, Vueling, Norse Atlantic as well as EasyJet and Tui, that now account for two-thirds of its annual seat capacity. If you’re flying from and to the US, you’ll most likely be on a British Airways or American Airlines flight into and out of the South Terminal. This is good news, as the South Terminal is more convenient for public transport and super easy to navigate, even if it is usually busier.

Eating, drinking and shopping airside

Access to South Terminal security and the wonders beyond is upstairs via an escalator behind the check in and bag drop counters. Once through, the upper level is where you’ll find most of the restaurants and bars, although there’s little to write home about quality wise. Wondertree is my preference for its fresh food, independent wines and views over the airfield.

Downstairs is the domain of duty free, lots of shops including a sizable Harrods (great for overpriced last minute souvenirs) and the usually long, long walk to gates. On that note, give yourself a minimum 15 minutes to walk there, no matter where your gate is.

Gatwick is also one of the few airports I’d ever consider staying at the night before a flight. Not only because early morning flights are often more convenient and cheaper than later in the day, but also because I love the YOTELAIR hotel located a one-minute walk from South Terminal security. Inexpensive, its capsule-like rooms are brilliantly designed, comfortable and great fun. And a stay here means I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and pay for a taxi because it’s too early for the trains.

The North Terminal has recently undergone a significant and much needed revamp, opening in 2024. From fundamentals like new floors, seating and charging points to a raft of new shops and restaurants, it’s now the plusher of the two terminals. It also now boasts five bookable lounges compared to the South Terminal’s two.

Beyond the lower level shops, I’m a big fan of The Breakfast Club to fuel up before a long flight. Marketing itself as a classic English ‘caf’, it’s part of a larger chain of hipster eateries growing across the UK, but feels more like an American diner to me. Either way, it’s fun, reasonably priced and serves big, hearty food and good cocktails. Tables and seats are packed in tight and it can get surprisingly lively for an airport eating stop. For something a little more refined, Bar on the Balcony directly across from it serves great English sparkling wines.

As with the South Terminal, don’t underestimate the distance to your gates and be prepared for a long walk in many cases. Keep an eagle eye on departure boards and once the gate number is up, don’t wait too long before beginning the trek to it!

Alternative London airports

Officially, London has six international airports to choose from, which is a lot by any count. If you’re planning to fly on to Europe after a few days in London, you may find its other airports cheaper or more convenient.

London Heathrow

If you’re flying to or from the US, Heathrow should be your first choice as it serves the most destinations via the most carriers. It’s quick and easy to get into London but isn’t as well connected to the rest of the UK as Gatwick.

London Stansted

London Stansted is the main hub for Ryanair, which serves lots of interesting secondary cities throughout Europe, as well as most of the capitals. While the airline is renowned for cheap prices and mediocre service, Stansted is an easy and relatively small airport to navigate. It’s a pain to get to and from central London though.

London City

London City is in the heart of the capital, but serves limited flights and can be expensive and so is favored by business travelers on day trips.

London Luton

London Luton sits far to the west of central London. After a recent massive overhaul, it’s growing in popularity. An EasyJet hub, it serves destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

London Southend

London Southend sits far to the east of the city, an outlier serving a handful of destinations across Europe. Convenient if you’re heading east of the city or beyond, otherwise your least likely option.