Urgent answer - Heathrow or Gatwick

[procrastinationstations]

Friend wants to visit in the summer and is flying long-haul. I will need to pick them up from the airport and they will get the train back (as I'm at work).

We live in north London/Essex, so both fairly equidistant for road and train.

I want to know the best one for collecting by car and she wants to know the best (most reliable) train links and 'nicest' airport!

She's trying to book the flights now and they're so close in times to both airports and price (about £20 in it).

Thanks.

Gatwick. Smaller, closer to train links, takes much less time for your luggage to get to baggage reclaim.

Gatwick train goes to st Pancras. Easier for north London

As others have said, Gatwick would be my choice.

Gatwick

Gatwick better by train as you've got several overground train options and the Gatwick express while Heathrow only has the Heathrow Express from Paddington and the (LONG) Piccadilly Line tube journey.

Gatwick.

I prefer Heathrow to Gatwick. Piccadilly line from a north london tube station straight there.

I would forget airport considerations and go for best flight timings and, if different airlines are involved, preferred carrier.

Gatwick. I hate Heathrow I just do

Gatwick. Trains to London Bridge or Victoria so lots of options in the event there are transport problems. No need to get the pricey Gatwick Express trains as regular trains are quick anyway

Heathrow is a better airport and you don’t have to get the Heathrow express you get the Elizabeth line and use an Oyster card/contactless.

Gatwick every time. Easier to get around. Train to Victoria or easier to get to the M25 if you're using the car.

Gatwick now it's been refurbed is better and train connectivity is much better to north London.

@superram

Heathrow is a better airport and you don’t have to get the Heathrow express you get the Elizabeth line and use an Oyster card/contactless.

What Elizabeth line? It's not open

Depends on the terminal at Heathrow too. Some are much worse than others.

You can use contactless on the trains from Gatwick!

Look at the travel times for the time of day for the flights to where you want to go. I've landed at Heathrow after the last train for example.

Heathrow. There’s a direct, prebookable coach to stanstead and collect them from there! It’s what we do for family flying in transatlantic and we live central/north Essex. It works brilliantly

Thanks all, Gatwick gets more thumbs up. Just hope things are better with covid by summer.

@StarlightLady

I would forget airport considerations and go for best flight timings and, if different airlines are involved, preferred carrier.

^^ Very very much this…

Flight timings, preferred airlines from a customer service POV and even ticket price come into the equation…

Other notes..

As others have said it’s Piccadilly line tube to/from LHR, Heathrow Express is a more costly but quick option to Piccadilly.

Heathrow is as convenient for the M25 as Gatwick, if not more convenient….LHR T5 is only a couple of hundred metres off the M25.

Agree with OrchidFlakes comments about ease of coaching from Heathrow….on the down side for Heathrow if collecting/dropping by car watch out for the drop off charges.