Why is Gatwick such a big pain in the arse to get ro

I just get the train if you are in the Thameslink line it goes direct

@murasaki yes I hate the fact if you want to go SE or vice versa it’s in & out.

I have no problem driving to Gatwick for SW London as it’s much quicker but environmentally the train would be better & other European countries manage to have more efficient train services.

A pp mentioned Sutton but doesn’t that involve either 2 train changes or 1 change which takes an hour?

Much less of an arse than Heathrow for me. And at least it has a train connection, unlike many other airports around the UK and the world. And so easy to get between the terminals. It's not a bad airport at all.

That's a South London thing in general, sadly. In North London there's all the sideways overground, bar the one, we don't really have that so it's in and out. Annoys me too.

I think it’s a pain to get to train wise from SW London. You have to travel in or across to go out.

And Euston is less than a ten minute trot from St Pancras, opening up further trains to the frozen north, west and other godforsaken lands.

We're in north London and fly from Gatwick at least once a year. Very easy as we're on the Northern line so we go to London Bridge and get a train from there. Heathrow is easy too as we can get the Northern line to Tottenham Court Road and then the Elizabeth line. Luton is easy as we can get a train from St Pancras. Stansted is probably the most difficult as we switch at Moorgate and then walk to Liverpool St to get the train. Usually takes 1-1.5 hours to any airport from our front door. We never need to book airport hotels and always take public transport, never need to drive or take a taxi or the more expensive trains, and it works out quite cheap as we use a Family Railcard.

I agree.

Direct trains to St Pancras, allowing onward connections from either there or Kings Cross, which covers a lot of the North and up into Scotland.

Reading gets you access to the West Country, Wales and the Midlands.

That’s not including Cambridge, Brighton, Peterborough, Luton, and I’m sure there are other places I’ve forgotten.

It’s definitely better connected by rail than Heathrow.

I actually think Gatwick is remarkably well connected trainwise.

Gatwick is super easy for us, as it is for anyone in easy distance of Victoria or Croydon stations.

Trains from Faringdon, Victoria & London Bridge, really what’s the problem? Apart from narrow platforms, but I think they are widening them.

I agree and I'm a tad stunned by the people living in East Anglia that think Gatwick is easier to get to than Stansted, Heathrow or London city,

For us, Heathrow is easiest by a long way. Never tried to get to Gatwick, but just looking at where it is I can see how it would likely be a nightmare. Stansted and Luton looks more doable, but still harder than Heathrow.

Tbh, if I had the choice, I'd just fly from Birmingham International. Just one direct train away. Otherwise I have family just down the M42 that would be willing to drop us of (and would be handsomely remunerated for it!) if we had an early/late flight that meant public transport was impossible.

I was buying through the Trainline. I'm assuming it can't be an open return because it's a commuter route and open returns are pretty easy to abuse. You can't buy an open return into London from here either. We're also not far from Luton and I don't object to it too much, but I'll avoid Stansted at all costs, DH reckons it's the seventh circle of hell. Heathrow is definitely our preference however unfortunately with BA if you're flying to a "holiday" destination, it's often Gatwick.

I like City too, in a previous life I used to fly from there a LOT.

Ha at Southend. I was once talking to a chap we were inviting to interview for a lecturer post and he said there was a flight to London Southend. I managed not to laugh and advised him to check Gatwick, City and Heathrow, given we were in Central London. When he turned up, he thanked me.

This!!! super easy for me.

@Swissmeringue thats a problem with trains all over. You pay PP whereas you pay per vehicle for a car, and most of it is a sunk cost for most people, so it’s really just 4 people on the train vs fuel and parking. Mind you that eve works for flights. 3 people and it’s cheaper to drive to the alps than fly by the time you’ve included everything beyond just getting in your car and getting on the eurotunnel. Surprised you couldn’t get a more open return though. Were you buying direct or via some sort of middle man ticket seller?

Which airport is tat I agree with PP does depend on where you live. I’m probably closest to Luton but try to avoid it because the car parking is rubbish since the fire and the terminal is depressing. Heathrow is the best for us, then Gatwick. I’d go to East Midlands before I go to Stansted or that other famous London airport, Southend.

Terminal 5 LHR is a pain in the neck for me. Was so much easier before it was built.

I love flying from Gatwick
We live in East Anglia so that and Heathrow much of a muchness

As an aside -now we fly long haul 3/4 times a year ( kids all grown up - our time now yay!) -the Gatwick Lounge is lovely- feel like a jet setter in there! While Heathrow is like a school canteen !

That's not the fault of the airport - it's the train!

I live in Hampshire. Gatwick is the easiest for me. Then Heathrow, although I'd rather go to Gatwick.

Luton / Stansted - not a chance.

I live 20 miles southeast of Gatwick, it’s the best one for me!

I live on the south coast nowhere near Croydon, and Gatwick is great for me!

Yep, I got an open return to Luton Airport parkway for precisely that reason. As I recall (2024) it was 42 quid, so 45 a head from Cambridge to Gatwick is about right . Within the framework that train prices are generally too much if they want us to use them obviously.