6am flight from Gatwick

[bouncingbackhome]

We live 3 hours from Gatwick airport and have a 6am flight. How would you manage this as a family? DH, DD’s 16 and 14 and me.

Would a lounge work well? I don’t think a hotel would work as we would have to leave so early.

What would you do?

I think I'd get a hotel and go to bed early and sleep 9-3:30am. Or one of you drives down and the rest of you sleep in the car, then swop driving when you get to destination.

Where is your flight to? If somewhere in Europe, you only need to check-in two hours before.

That said, personally I would just book an airport hotel as motorway driving can be unpredictable. An accident can cause several hours of delays. Most airport hotels will have family rooms if you don’t want to pay too much.

Depends on how long the flight is ... > 2 hours, get a hotel room unless you want to spend the first day sleeping.

Over 2 hours, I think it's ok to leave at midnight and drive to the airport. DC's can sleep in the car... get to the gate as soon as it's announced and try and have a sleep on the plane.

Hotel.

Hotel 100%

Another hotel and early to bed/early rise vote here. At least when the alarm goes you are there.

I'd book into the Premier Inn at Gatwick North Terminal.

We booked the Gatwick Travel Lodge recently for a similar time flight.

We had dinner, a bit of sleep and then left the hotel in the early hours to get to the airport. It worked well.

Hotel, many motorways have roadworks overnight and are either fully/partially closed between 2100-0600.

We just give up on getting sleep that night and set off early to make sure we definitely get there for 4am (or 3am if long haul). Lounges tend to be too bright and busy. so only other option is an airport hotel with dinner and early night.

There used to be a Yotel at Gatwick and it’s brilliant because you are literally right there. But definitely hotel. Also definitely don’t book 6am flights 😂😂

If you stay in airport hotel, you can get away with getting up at 3.30 am, everyone showers night before, have everything ready, do twilight bag drop if your airline offers it so all you have to do is get up, dressed, quick tea/coffee and be in your way.

Be in bed by 9 the night before, catch up snooze on the plane and you should be fine. Sometimes you can get hotel/parking deals that aren't hugely more expensive than parking alone.

Otherwise you need to be leaving home at 1 am or earlier, possibly deal with overnight closures on the motorway and drive overnight, which many people struggle with if they're not used to it. Although if you and DH can share this, the rest of you can sleep in the car, but realistically you're likely to be a lot more tired the next day.

Yeah, what would I do? Not book 6 am flights from Gatwick if I lived 3 hours away .

Although presumably you either had no choice about the flight time or airport for wherever you're going or its massively cheaper than a better time and/or closer airport to home?

But often, for those of us who don't live close to the London airports, we have to put up with this sort of thing or make do with a much more limited choice of holiday.

The lounge will be closed, as will most airside restaurants / shops etc. we would never be able to sleep at 2100 but having a room will at least give you- comfortable space

Yes, quite. We have flown at that time but we live 40 minutes away. In fact the 9.30am flights are the ones I avoid on weekdays due to M25 rush hour. Or I go on the train which takes longer but at least avoids the roads at that time in the morning.

Definitely hotel you will all at least get a few hours sleep

just leave the house at 1
roads will be quiet.

I agree. You can just walk straight into the terminal which is across the road.

Not sure where you are coming from but I am
sure I remember seeing some signs for o/n m25 closure around j7 recently.

Bloc Hotel.
The hotel is literally at the departure gate! Come down the lift and you are in the queue to join security.
Plus free coffee.

If you bought the flights because they were the cheapest option that might be disappointing though.

Otherwise it’s afternoon nap for the driver and set off after midnight. The advantage is you are all dressed and passengers will nod off in the car ( I find it hard to sleep in new hotels)

I’d get a hotel, utilise overnight bag drop if available, book fast track security, and leave the hotel at 4:30 grabbing a Starbucks for the flight.

If overnight bag drop isn’t available, I’d leave the hotel a bit earlier to allow for that.

Theres not a chance in hell I’d drive to Gatwick the morning of a flight that early.

A few of the airlines allow you to drop your bags the night before now, so you could reasonable sleep until ~4.30am which isn’t too bad

Stay overnight. I like the holiday Inn as they keep your car on site.

I doubt the lounges will be open (assuming you mean executive lounges, for eating/drinking etc). With a 3hr journey, I would book a hotel with parking for your trip Holiday Extras sometimes do a deal to include dinner. You will still have to get up in the early hours, but at least you don’t have the stress of the journey, will be a v tiring day though. Book for whatever terminal you are flying from North or South, there is a monorail that runs in between.

I’ve used Bloc hotel in Gatwick before, that was very easy