How long in advance should I get to Gatwick?

[piddocktrumperiness]

Hi all- I'm due to fly from Gatwick to Greece on the 8th July. I live 4 hours away from the airport and am v worried about a potential pandemonium happening at the airport. My flight departs at 3pm, so it is peak time. How early should I get there for?

My partner is v much relaxed about the whole thing and thinks 2 hrs max but I'm not sure at all

Okay, I would check Google maps live to see how long it takes. Look now so you can see roughly how much the traffic will add to your journey.
Since Covid I have got to airports 3hrs in advance of flight, but have had no problems getting in.
I think I would find somewhere for a stop/walk for an hour somewhere near your airport.

So 3 hours for airport +30 mins for parking + 1 hour for walk + whatever Google maps says (at same time as you are going)

We flew from Gatwick a few weeks ago and we were advised to be there a minimum of two and a half hours before the flight. We actually went straight through but you cant be sure to do that.

We flew for the half term, premium security so through in 5-10 minutes. Long queues for regular security. Once through there were queues for food, eat in or take away or just the pubs for a drink so factor that in. I would go for 3 because I don’t like the worry.

We went to Gatwick over the May half term, travelled from Birmingham. Flight time was similar to yours. We got there 3 hours before and had loads of time to be honest. Couldn’t check the bags in until 2.5 hours before so had to hang about for a bit but the check in queue was really quick and then we’d paid for express security but actually we didn’t need it as it was a short queue that moved quickly. So we would’ve been fine having a lot less time. 8th July isn’t school holidays so you’d hope it wouldn’t be too manic.

Thank you- so that means probably leave 7-8am

@Retrievemysanity I know I sound clueless here but how do you pay for premium security? and does it make a difference if I check much earlier online? The check in is open now until the 7th July

My flight is with EasyJet- does that throw a spanner in the works and change everything? :)

Go to the Gatwick website for express security, I've just booked it and it was £5 each.

@nearlyspringyay Thank you :)

Flew with Easyjet from Gatwick on Thursday. Literally zero queue for bag drop, took all of 2 minutes. We then went through premium security but it seemed everyone had the same idea and it took longer than normal security! I think I’d pay again for peace of mind but it was fine.

Only queues were for the restaurants. No chance of getting into Wetherspoons or the other sit down restaurants so we ended up spending 20 minutes queuing for Pret! We did have a 9am flight though so may be different later in the day when Nando’s and Wagamama are open.

@Startuplife Oh that is a relief! thank you :)

@piddocktrumperiness as pp said, express security was £5 per person so worth doing for peace of mind even if you don’t use it. We only did it the day before as I suddenly got the jitters with everything on the news and our eldest has SEN so queuing can sometimes be an issue but like I say, actually there were no queues! Our flight was with easyJet too. The main concern was flights being cancelled as lots were cancelled both ways. Maybe that’s why there were no queues! And baggage on way back was delayed for ages due to staff shortages. Have a great holiday!