How bad/busy are the London airports in the summer holidays, really?

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We’re currently weighing up the pros and cons of going abroad in the summer holidays.Please tell me about your experiences of using Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted in August. Are they horrendous? What are the strikes like? Thanks

I went from Heathrow to Rome from T5 last August. Those %$¢¥€$^✓π self service terminals are BS, and I couldn't check in less that 2 hours before the departure time. So by the time we got through security there was no time to have a sit down breakfast or anything.

Did Stansted once. It was fine except I couldn't get the bloody passport gizmos at the border to work on the way back.

As Non-EU citizens if you don't want to use the self service border/passport gizmos the queues are quite long.

We went through Gatwick and Stansted last year.

I don’t know if it was just fortuitous timing but on both occasions I travelled alone with my children and had no issues.

In August 2022 though on a trip with husband when we landed at Heathrow the delay scanning passports was making everyone angsty. It took around 3hrs to get through passport control thank god we didn’t have our children with us.

We did Gatwick to Rome last August no bother at all, Easyjet self serve baggage drop, got through security pretty quickly and had plenty of time in the departure lounge. Similarly on the return, but while we were in the air the UK ATC system crashed and I imagine it was absolute chaos after that so there is always an element of luck, we avoided that by about an hour.

Gatwick to Nice twice last year - august and October half term and were absolutely fine.

We are going regularly via Heathrow, City and Gatwick during the year, holiday and work trips.

Even in the chaos of Summer 2022 it was not that bad but we normally try to get flights very early so there is no big build-up.

We once did an evening bag drop off at Gatwick so we could just go through security, that helps but it depends how close you are to the airport.
You can also book priority security for £5/person.

City stopped the 100ml liquid rule, it's now 2l, but it means a lot more bags are now pulled out and checked manually, I found that took quite long last October and I think more and more airports will do it from Summer 2024 onwards.

If you can, book your seat and download the boarding pass asap. BA is 24 hours before you fly so you don’t need to check in at the airport. At T5 Heathrow we’ve never used self service. Bag drop opens earlier than 2 hours before usually.

We don’t go in the summer holidays anymore but lots of people clog up security as they are not prepared! Particularly families with dc. So get out the electronic devices ! Read what needs to be out of bags etc. Passport control is electronic on the way out and back in. Queues can form on the way back in. Generally I think Heathrow is efficient but I would avoid first day/weekend of school holidays.

We had a dreadful experience of Gatwick 20 years ago. It was so busy we couldn’t actually get into the airport building! Too many people and very difficult to move when we did get into the airport! Avoided Gatwick after that so I’m out of date!

Very busy but I find the problem at airports is not the going but the arriving - the line for passport control and wait for baggage collection can be horrendous. Worst offender: Miami airport. Barcelona it's about three miles between landing and baggage so a nightmare if you have a non walking baby as they don't bring pushchair to plane.
But generally the airports are busy but just give yourself plenty of time.

Travelling (particularly by plane) is busy and stressful whenever/however you do it. Usually worth it though!

Thanks for what you’ve said so far. I normally fly 3 or 4 times a year for work, but have always been able to avoid August.

I don’t find it remotely stressful but I can and do avoid school holidays these days! We arrive reasonably early, we are prepared and go into the lounge. Since T5 opened it’s mostly been stress free. We like to complain about our airports but waits to get into the USA can be really long!

We never need to go in school
holidays again yyyay!!! But did for 15 years, and used mainly Gatwick.

Never had a big problem but if you don’t like hordes then paying for a lounge is worth it. We generally fly EasyJet and the online check in /bag drop makes everything quick and simple.

Not had a problem on way back, never queued at immigration for more than 10 minutes.

Unfortunately it’s entirely variable and impossible to predict. We have breezed through with minimal queues anywhere and have also been faced with long waits at every stage giving us little time before having to go to the gate. Just get there early (BA allows check in 3 hours before your flight), download your boarding passes at home and use the self check in machines.

I flew from Heathrow T5 on a day that was predicted the busiest get away of the year ... in actual fact it was fine.

Done Stansted and Luton on many occasions and it's been ok. Security is the biggest queue, but you can prepare for that, so once you are being checked, it literally takes seconds. Just follow staff instructions to the tee is my advice for EVERYONE. Because the biggest hold up are people who don't put belts, liquids, phones, keys, ... into the trays for scanning.

From what is sounds like, the media like to make it a mountain out of a mole hill.

Flew twice out of Gatwick in the summer holidays last year and it was fine. First time I bought fast track security which a waste of money, there was a bigger queue there because people weee struggling to download their tickets because the entrance seems to be in a network dead zone.

We do book a lounge though because the terminals are busy and the seats uncomfy

Honestly, no one can really tell you this as it varies from day to day, airport to airport and whether there's a glitch like baggage handlers strike or computer going down.

We travel all year round and yes, it is much busier in the summer, but my sense is that it's busy all the time now. Every time we fly, the airports seem busy and there are queues, especially if, like us you refuse to do crack of dawn flights. Although at Bristol in May last year, we arrived for a lunchtime flight and the airport was quiet and we were told their busiest time was first thing when all the cheap flights went out so...

I think you just have get your head down and realise it's the cost of travel. Bring a book/ipad/headphones and just zone it out. Tell yourself the security queues are a good thing,because they keep us safe. Understand the staff are under pressure and be nice to them. Promise yourself a nice coffee when you get through

There's no glamour in travel but being prepared and 'zen' will get you through it. It's not for ever, it's a matter of hours and it's so worth it for the guaranteed sunshine/different culture/change and rest when you're through it.

We use the 5 "London" airports
We pay for fast-track security outbound, & f.t. passport control inbound.
(Not necessary for City.)
I think it totals £10 per person, well worth it.

Used stansted in July last year, hell on earth.

I mean there are still days which are really bad. I generally avoid Gatwick as they use a different organisation for ATC who are always short staffed. Heathrow is generally ok I find. The summer of 2022 was a nightmare- I flew from T3 and it took 90 minutes to get through security- the queue started at the check in desk and fights were breaking out as people were pushing in. Then 14 hour flight and a week in HK quarantine- fun times 🤣

My experience of London airports in peak season :

Luton : A nightmare. The second worst airport in the U.K., after Birmingham which is a complete joke.

Gatwick : Very busy, but usually not too horrendous.

Heathrow : Ususally fine.

City : Great.

Stanstead : Haven’t used since pre-Covid.

Depends who you fly with. Most of my journeys through T3 and T4 are relatively painless.

I think the first weekend of the school holidays can be the worst. If you avoid that it will probably be reasonable.
Easiest of all would be to travel mid-week but obviously many packagres will start on a Saturday or Sunday.

I use Stansted, Gatwick mainly a couple of times each in August and yes, they're busy, but everything that you have to queue for moves quickly because there are lots of staff and it's all very organised.
The best times are early morning.
But seriously, self bag drop or night before bag drop, you're through security in less than 15-20 minutes. It's like herding cattle, but it's very quick.

Thank you, this has been helpful and pretty reassuring. We intend to use Stansted and travel on a weekday.

We've always caught the earliest plane available with children when self catering or resorts. The children slept on the way to the airport. It's eerily quiet when you arrive, the journey from home the motorway is quiet at 4am. But this is Manchester/Liverpool.