Three hours from central London to Gatwick flight

[sparkysdream]

Is it cutting things too fine? Trying to squeeze in a matinee that finishes at 4pm to getting an internal flight at 7.05pm. Google suggests the journey is about an hour, train from Charing Cross and Thames Link to Gatwick but that is if each step goes to plan, and Easy Jet advice is to arrive two hours before departure.

Well, as a semi helpful data point I left a restaurant in Soho on Friday night just after 10, walked to Green Park, got the tube to Victoria then a train to Brighton (via Gatwick). I was in Brighton just after midnight, so about 2 hours. On that basis I'd happily go to Gatwick as there's no real need to be a LGW any more than an hour before a domestic flight IME.

From Covent Garden area I'd probably walk to TCR, get the Elizabeth line to Farringdon and pick up a Thames Link service from there. I'd be surprised if that took much more than an hour, leaving an hour to spare :)

We normally do Charing Cross to London Bridge or Waterloo(over the bridge) to Clapham Junction and pick up mainline service in that direction. Alternatively tube Embankment to Victoria. You can also change at East Croydon to take first available trains.

If you leave at 1630 on time from central London, have no luggage, and you’re already checked in then you can be at Gatwick by just after 6. But you are cutting it very fine. I wouldn’t want the stress.

Cutting it way too fine.

Baggage has to be checked in an hour before flight so you only really have 2 hours unless it’s hand luggage only. That is cutting it very fine and banks on no delay to start time of the performance.

Why would you do that to yourself? If you must, Tottenham Court Rd/Elizabeth line to Farringdon, then Thameslink to Gatwick is the quickest route I know of

I used to commute down that way. Spent a lot of time sitting on the platform at East Croydon station.

Don't have much to add, except that I'd leave the performance before the encore (definitely sit at the end of a row) to save time getting out of the theatre.

Once at LGW you'll only need to get the shuttle over and then go through security before you get to the gate. If you're capable of power walking then the walk to the gate won't do you in - even the furthest gates are only ten minutes at a quick pace and good use of the travelators. It's the journey there that's the unpredictable bit. I'd agree with others that the East Croydon line is the potential single point of failure. I'd always prefer to be at Victoria with a choice of services than rely purely on Thameslink, if only because I used to do this journey weekly and if services are really pushed but still moving they prioritise the Gatwick Express over the regular trains.

Personally, I think you’ll be fine. If you get the 1700 train , you’ll be through security and at the gate by 1810 latest. I’d risk it. Only question I’d ponder is whether to buy fast track security.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9xj3vnyxgo

just the other day

If there is an issue with the Charing Cross train, get a taxi to Waterloo,
train to Clapham junction, where you can get a train to Gatwick. You could do it, but it would be tight and would depend on your appetite for stress !

No, the biggest unknown is will there be problems with the trains? No one can predict that (including the rail services). 9 times out of 10 you’ll be fine. But that 10th time could mean you miss your flight. So down to you to decide depending on what the personal impact is if you miss your flight and how risk averse you are.

I would say that in the years I travelled weekly to Gatwick I only had problems maybe twice? And both times I knew in advance that there was a major issue and managed to make other arrangements. A few more times I ended up crammed on to a very full Gatwick Express but got there. If there's a total block on the line there's a chance you'd know about it before the play started and could make a decision then about how to get to LGW/home. (I did always walk into Victoria semi-braced for a disaster on the departures board though.)

This would slow you down the most I think, unless you have aisle seats you won’t be able to get out very quickly. How sharp are your elbows?

I would do it but I would go for Gatwick express rather than Thameslink and if the show overruns (unlikely) just leave the theatre early.

The problem is that the train situation can change very quickly and with no warning.
I once dropped DD of at East Croydon station - the trains were absolutely fine when she got out of the car. Literally 100 yards to the platform - every train was cancelled.
When I have to be anywhere time-specific using the trains, I leave plenty of extra time. If it's to catch a flight I will building in several extra hours, just in case. I would rather spend ages in the departures waiting than missing the flight completely.

I wouldn't even worry about it! It will be fine. Domestic flight, you'll be there at least 1.5 hours before. I wouldn't normally aim to get there before that anyway. I fly ALOT

I guess it comes down to there being a risk of train disruption whenever you're trying to get to the airport! You need to think about what could happen if you're prevented from getting to the airport regardless, and making your plan B proportionate. The vast majority of the time this journey is fine.

If you make sure you have travel insurance covering domestic travel, then train disruption of a scale that makes you miss your flight will cover your expenses. That just leaves you working through how long a journey time you're comfortable with, and quite a few of us on this thread who've done the journey a lot think that 3.5 hours including the airport is OK. There are no guarantees ever but there are a LOT of people routinely travelling to Gatwick from London without regular problems.

Check your policy but in all likelihood a missed flight due to train delays would not be covered by travel insurance - scroll down in the article below (I’ll try to screenshot the relevant bit):

My wife’s passport was stolen — can we get a holiday refund?

www.thetimes.com/article/129cb974-44df-4350-a9ff-5ee3d4a78266?shareToken=4ade65b22d9253cf73215fea06f2706b

That's interesting as I've been reimbursed for a missed flight (including new flights/overnight accommodation) because of traffic disruption. There was a level we needed to hit and I remember having to go back to the AA Twitter feed (back in the day) and print off the stuff about the traffic we were in, so potentially something equal to that re train disruption.

The policy will say anyway.

This is an interesting thread showing everyone's different levels of risk!

Imo, it's doable and you'd probably make it and be fine... but if it were me I'd just spend the whole show worrying about problems so personally wouldn't risk it.

Tube to Victoria and take the Gatwick Express, more reliable than Thameslink. It can be done on a good day. North terminal means you have to take the shuttle from the train station though so factor in that. I would be worrying too much to do it personally!

I would do it - as someone who goes to the theatre in the West End a lot, and uses that train line which goes via Gatwick a lot! Theatre shows very rarely overrun, time wise, and there are two routes to Gatwick (Charing X/London Bridge or Victoria), so you do have alternatives - particularly if there’s an issue further up the line on the Thameslink. Just check the National Rail live departures for both stations (or Citymapper) to ensure you’re heading for one that’s operating well.

You can’t really plan to account for train issues around Gatwick and there’s no more of a chance that they’ll start in the time you’re trying to travel there when you don’t have much time than if you tried to do the journey an hour earlier. They’ll either happen or they won’t and you kind of have to roll with it.

There are no guarantees ever but there are a LOT of people routinely travelling to Gatwick from London without regular problems.

Indeed. But most people build in sufficient contingency in case there’s a problem. The problems are irregular rather than regular. But it can be that one time that screws you so best to have a plan B or be relaxed enough to not care and/or not have important plans that will be impacted by it. Only the OP can answer that (and at present she hasn’t).

That one time can absolutely screw you! But reading this thread it starts to sound like it's total Russian roulette on the trains whereas in fact it's pretty rare that it happens. As I said, it's about being proportionate, and you say, being comfortable with the absolute worst case scenario.