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LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT Passenger Reviews |
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LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 1 June 2009: by John Wilson
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
Gatwick South Terminal. Check in Area fine, security - as to be expected these days, but
after security the place turns into a dump. There are no views outside. Unless you go to a
lounge. The rest of the terminal is enclosed, cramped and claustrophobic. The only things to
do are to look around the sterile selection of shops or eat in one of the overpriced eateries.
The bars are expensive and charge more for drinks than town centre bars / pubs. By the time I
got on my flight to Munich I felt that most of my soul had been sucked out of me. Until the
sale goes ahead or doesn't nothing's going to be done to improve this. The North Terminal is
slightly better as at least you can see out from some of the windows.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 28 May 2009: by Brian Hill
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
As from my comments in March 2009, only the upstairs security area in the South Terminal was
open, but at least it was quiet at nine o'clock in the morning. Returning the border control
and luggage reclaim areas were more like a building site than an airport, again thank goodness
it was quiet, I dread to think what the border control queues are like when it is busy and
only three desk are available for EU citizens.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 18 May 2009: by H Nicholson
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
I was flying to Rhodes with easyjet from the North Terminal at Gatwick Airport. Compared to
the south terminal which my flight from Glasgow arrived into, the North Terminal seems to be
much more quiter. There are plenty of facilities available, cafes, restaurants, shopping and
much more. The departure lounge is excellent with plenty of seating. Security and check in
were very speedy and it is very easy to navigate yourself around the airport!
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 6
April 2009: by John Oram
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
It was busy before 7am and there did seem to be an effort to open all security lanes.
Nevertheless this was achieved at the expense of not operating the Fast Track lanes for their
intended purpose and herding the business class passengers with everyone else. What slows the
process is the numerous futile procedures conducted by large numbers of staff at any one
station most of whom are not actually doing anything. I was extremely annoyed to have to
remove my laptop from my bag as this procedure has been suspended at LHR for some while. I
learned though that that is only a trial. I learned too that they are not willingly going to
relax liquid restrictions as hinted some months ago. They just love to cling on to all these
climate of fear spin offs even after scientific proof of their futility. Passengers should
miss no opportunity to complain but make sure not to fall foul of an increasingly defensive
attitude to legitimate complaints which are now too often construed as aggressive or offensive
behaviour.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 26 March 2009: by Brian Hill
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Outgoing on 5th March, security a joke! No sensible information that the check-in level
departure area was closed and only the upstairs area was open. Departure lounge was a
building site and the Servisair lounge is not worth the cost. Incoming on the 10th March, what
purpose does taking my photo at the gate, being given a bar coded card to be given in a few
seconds later, achieve? If this is meant to stop domestic passengers mixing with
international ones, it fails. At least the luggage arrived quickly.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 27 February 2009: by N Sutherland
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
I use both the North and South Terminals many times a year, and I'm liking it more rather than
less. (Most Airports I use the reverse is the case). The Airport Hotels are conveniently
located and reasonably priced (for Airport Hotels). Hire Car Areas are a bit cramped but
certainly close enough to the Terminal. Summer gets very busy with holiday flights and gets
very crowded early in the morning. Winter is much quieter. The Check-In areas are well laid
out and a dream if your airline does online check-in. Security can get crowded, but
professional and courteous behaviour as always from the staff makes a huge difference (maybe
something many passengers could learn). There is very good shopping both in terms of price and
choice in both Terminals. I recently got a better price on a Camera in LGW North Terminal than
I could get in the UK, even online, Dubai Duty Free (crazy prices) or several cities in SE
Asia. Restaurants and Bars are fine and Airline Lounges are less crowded than their LHR
counterparts. Walks to and from the Gate Areas are often lengthy with the 'endless-dim-
corridor' a common experience. Gatwick Express is quick and reliable and I often make a run in
to London if I have a few hours between flights. In the middle of the day I've walked off the
plane, done Immigration and bags and been at the Hotel Check-In inside 30 minutes. That's
pretty good for an old airport. I much prefer going through LGW than LHR and this certainly
affects my choice of airline.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 12 February 2009: by M Luddington
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
Gatwick North Terminal compared to South Terminal is much quieter, calmer then the South,
check in was quick and easy and the security check was quick with no line. Once through
security there is a decent selection of shops, restuarants and bars. The only downside is the
amount of walking to your departure gate.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 7
February 2009: by Ian Burgess
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Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
I have used Gatwick North many times since the day it opened and still feel it is one of the
best airports. It is big enough to matter and have all the facilities one would want but small
enough to navigate without getting lost or angry! I am lucky that I fly business class usually
or at least as a BA Silver member can enjoy quick priority check in. I do not know why when on
a recent trip to Hong Kong from T5 they wouldn't let me check in more than three hours ahead
and so was forced to sit it out for over 3 hours on hard seats, yet on the return from Gatwick
to Bordeaux having got off the overnight from HK to LHR and coached it to Gatwick, BA happily
checked me in five hours ahead of my lunchtime flight.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 6
January 2009: by Phil Wegener
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
Gatwick North, airport looks decent but nothing special. Very long walk though in the North
Terminal to get to the pier where the budget airlines are. After landing, it took me almost
an hour reach the Gatwick train station, despite only carrying hand luggage. It also has to
be said that the few train connections from the airport to London on a Sunday are absolutely
shambolic for such a major city as London.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 31 December 2008 : by A Bell
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
Gatwick South Terminal is a miserable place to wait for a plane. There isn’t enough seating and the
seating does not face the monitors announcing the flights. There are no spoken announcements
concerning departures (restful), so you often have to leave your seat to check the monitor. You can
either leave your belongings while you do this and risk having them stolen and incurring the wrath
of the staff (you are constantly told over the tannoy not to do it), or take them with you and risk
losing your seat. The monitors look to date from about 1970. I complained about them 3 years ago
and was assured that there was a project afoot to update them. Nothing has been done. Upstairs,
there are inadequate catering facilities meaning long queues for vile and hideously priced food.
It’s not big either. You can’t get away from the crowds, or sit peacefully. All in all to be avoided
which I do. Use City if you can – a far better experience. Gatwick is positively a third world
airport, shabby, cluttered and falling apart.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 19 December 2008 : by David Leston
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
Qatar Airways have moved to the North Terminal, which has given them vastly improved facilities over
those they had in the South Terminal. Progress through the terminal was quick and efficient - it
wasn't a very busy day by the looks of it - and everything looked neat and tidy, with easy to follow
signage. Only downside, the long walking distances to the gates.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 24 November 2008 : by R Smith
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Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
LGW-DUB-LGW with Aer Lingus. I have never seen the airport so empty on Friday am. Check in was a
breeze, Security empty - straight through, good mixture of shops and bars. Boarding effective and
efficient. Arrival, off the plane quickly, into Customs where Dublin and Jersey passengers were kept
to one side and asking for boarding passes which was strange but nevertheless straight through to
baggage reclaim where our cases were already on the belt. Within 15 minutes from landing was out of
the airport. Very impressed.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 16 November 2008 : by J Booty
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
Checked in at around 11:45 on a Friday at North Term. and it was wonderful! Hardly anybody about,
unlike the early morning crush that we have regularly encountered in the past. Security queues were
minimal so we had plenty of time to spare. Coming back however, we had to walk for miles from the
plane to baggage reclaim and then we had to wait almost an hour for our baggage because there were
not enough handlers and this was at midnight.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 6 November 2008 : by David Gartside
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
Checked in mid-morning Thurs at N terminal with BA fast bag-drop / internet check-in. Efficient
process, acceptable security, long walk to pier but all worked as it should. Return to same pier was
OK, long wait for carousel to be nominated and not straight-forward to find bus-stop for long-stay
car park - several failed light bulbs didn't help!
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 14
October 2008 : by J Byass
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
North terminal. Rarely fly from Gatwick. Seemed just as it had been 4 years ago; that is, acceptable
from a transit point of view. Flying Club Class for a change gave many benefits which possibly
masked any shortcomings. MCO was a revelation, 30 mins from exiting the aircraft to driving the
rental car from the car park. LGW return was different. A modest wait at immigration, followed by a
longer wait for the carousel, followed by a wait for a few bits of luggage, followed by wait for an
almighty crash when the luggage arrived up to 3 across and 2 deep, plus sundry parts lying around.
This part of Gatwick I remember well, although similar has happened at Heathrow. None of this can be
controlled by the traveller, but if anyone else has any tips please post them.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 2 July 2008 : by Robert Bushby
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
I have criticised the place in the past so well done to those on duty at LGW South at 0800 or
thereabouts on Sat 14 Jun. As pressure mounted at security we and some fellow outbound passengers
were peeled off, whisked away and directed upstairs to a supplementary screening area. Once into the
terminal proper it was clear that whilst not finished the remodelling of the first floor has allowed
a bigger circulating area to be created. A good start to our holiday. On our return (28 Jun) - we
were parked out at gate 999 - or so it seemed - but every moving walkway on the long hike to
passport control was operational. It is these details that make or break so not quite 5 stars but
definitely getting better. (Not BAA issues as such but passport lines were short and our bags were
on carousel almost immediately afterwards)
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 30 May 2008 : by Michael Scott
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
I used North Terminal in the middle of a Friday morning. It was a miserable experience. Our check-in
zone was Zone Z - a hard-to-find area alongside Zone A. Only two flights were checking in at Zone Z
but there was no room for a proper queue and it was utter chaos. Long queues at security. Very long
queues at every food outlet and shop in the departure lounge, and not nearly enough seating. The
duty-free shops extend further and further into what used to be seating space, and the terminal
becomes ever more overcrowded as a result. "Duty free" prices generally not that different to the
prices you'd pay in any supermarket or department store in the UK. I'm giving Gatwick two stars -
but only because it's not as bad as Heathrow.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 21 May 2008 : by G Jardin
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
LGW-BFS. Quick progress through Security (although still no chairs to use whilst putting on shoes -
is that not a fairly obvious customer care issue?). Didn't have long to wait for my on-time flight,
and quite relieved. The South Terminal airside is not pleasant: claustrophobic, stuffy, a horrid
shopping mall at its worst. There were loads of seats, but I wouldn't like to be there on a day of
delays.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 11 May 2008 : by T Hollis
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
As a more recent visitor to the South Terminal for work trips, I have come to dread my visit. I
always check in online, so have no comment to make on that part of the airport. Security queues seem
to be reasonable when I'm there which is usually about 7am. It's airside that the problems start,
with so many flights leaving the South Terminal there are always large numbers of passengers and,
just not enough room for everyone. From what I can tell there is only one toilet area to serve all
these people. If only some of the shops would make way for a few more places to buy some decent
food. I don't want to eat McDonalds, a 20 minute wait to buy a coffee is just not good enough. The
North Terminal is a much better experience but, unfortunately I don't get to use that part of the
airport. I'm considering using City airport despite living 20 minutes drive from LGW, it's a much
better experience. I hope that BAA are forced to sell Gatwick as something needs to be done.
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 7 May 2008 : by Mark Evans
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Normally I am a satisfied and frequent user of LGW, which seems less prone to BAA Disease than its
LHR big brother. The Achilles Heel though has been the shuttle link between South and North
terminals. A three-minute peak time maximum wait is promised, when both shuttle trains are in use,
otherwise one is promised a maximum six-minute wait. My previous moan has been that BAA seems fast
and loose in its interpretation of "peak". But what happens when both shuttle trains are out of use?
The answer, in short, is a mess. An almighty queue was backing up when I reached the shuttle gates
to depart on Friday evening. "Shuttle Not In Service" the board announced, but within minutes one
train at least was back in action - admittedly it was packed with stressed pax, but at least we
reached the North Terminal in tolerable time. Returning yesterday, the shuttle was entirely broken,
and buses were ferrying pax and their luggage back and forth. Presumably as the day was a public
holiday, BAA was not able to muster any more than the three vehicles (and drivers) that were
providing this emergency service - I'd hate to think was BAA was too stingy to pay for a more
adequate service. Long lines were backing up, and this at the non-peak time of early afternoon,
taking some 25-30 minutes before I could board one of the buses. The situation was within the limits
of tolerable, and pax were surprisingly well tempered in the circumstances. Then a BAA under-manager
type appeared on the scene, quite needlessly hectoring pax in an infant school teacher's voice to
move up the line and close the gaps. This was very crass psychology - she should have been
apologising in person to all and sundry. I saw two BAA suits in the distance, but they sensibly
vanished before I could remind them that if they and their Spanish overlords had cared to spend more
money on day-to-day maintenance and less on cooking up yet more "exciting retail experiences", this
predicament would never have arisen, and that public faith in BAA would not be collapsing so
spectacularly. Should BAA be broken up? Yes!
LONDON GATWICK AIRPORT review : 30 April 2008 : by Justin Edmonds
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Why is it that BAA have a permanent ongoing make an airport look like a tip programme? Every time I
pass through one of their airports there are always ceiling tiles missing, areas sheeted over, parts
closed off etc. We flew recently from the south terminal which is rather small for the number of
flights that use it. Airside is not very attractive a few shops & very few eating places compared to
the North Terminal - unless you like burgers. As it was breakfast time there were long queues for
the two restaurants & single coffee bar. Our plane departed from the roundhouse, on arrival there it
was like a different world with empty shops & coffee bars. Had I known our plane was departing from
there I would have walked down much earlier. Something needs to be done with our airports and fast
as the sorry state of them is an embarrassment to this country.
Gatwick Airport review by N Sutherland
23 April 2008 Customer Rating : 
It's been several years since I've passed though LGW and despite the increasing security measures I
found it a significantly better experience than LHR. UK Domestic Baggage wait was reasonable in
middle of the day. Signs and screens are still a problem and not easy to navigate your way around if
you're not familiar with the airport, but there were plenty of Help Staff around which was
excellent. Check-In was good in the South Terminal, Security in the early morning was quick,
efficient, professional and polite. Good selection of shops with still enough space for people to
sit but the Departure Gate areas are showing their age.
Gatwick Airport review by G Marsh
11 April 2008 Customer Rating : 
On the outward and inward leg of our trip we were pleasantly surprised how efficient, courteous and
helpful all the staff at Gatwick North were. Immigration staff were friendly and cheerful and
welcoming, security staff although taking their jobs seriously were very kind and professional. Well
done to the staff at Gatwick for helping to make the journey through Gatwick such a pleasure.
Gatwick Airport review by W Foster
10 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
Flew outb from LGW South Terminal to Sanford, no problems with check-in, friendly and helpful
security staff, reasonable airside shops and food outlets. Returning today absolutely awful, had to
walk seemingly miles from arrival gate to immigration. Plane landed at 6.55am but apparently
baggage handlers were refusing to work overtime and it was 9am before we finally got our baggage.
BAA please get your act together.
Gatwick Airport review by Tony Bridge
5 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
Checked in for a BA flight at north terminal with minimum fuss. Staff pleasant and courteous as they
were at security and passport control. Everything seemed clean and tidy and a good range of shops
and bars/restaurants on the airside, and ample space and seating around the gates.
Gatwick Airport review by Mattia Costa
12 February 2008 Customer Rating : 
I connected in LGW on a Saturday afternoon - North terminal, incoming from Pisa and out to Amsterdam
2 hours later - and I am positively surprised by my experience. The security staff at connections
point was very friendly and helpful, maybe because I was the only passenger there, but I could not
experience such kindness anywhere else at an airport security check. Although the walk from and to
the gates is quite long, it does not take more than 10 minutes and the signage is very clear. In my
opinion, a perfect connection point for international flights!
Gatwick Airport review by Alan Wan
3 January 2008 Customer Rating : 
A limited number of shops and restaurants were open but was good compared to my last flight on Xmas
Day 2 years ago were there was only the World Duty Free, Yates and Upper Crust open. We checked in
the night before using Virgin Atlantic's twilight check-in facility, security queues were short and
we were through within 10 minutes.
Gatwick Airport review by Robert Bushby
20 December 2007 Customer Rating : 
Flew Easyjet from LGW South on Sat 15 Dec and a lack of road traffic plus an on-line check-in the
night before meant that I unintentionally had a bit more time to study the terminal and reach some
conclusions. Firstly; at 0930 the security lines were commendably short but how much better it would
be to have two people on the roller conveyor belt, not one and put a person on duty to load the
trays with bags & jackets at the start and have someone put trays into the X-ray machine further
along the track or even better get the type of conveyor installed where the empty trays pop out
ready for refilling at the start of the tracking without having to be restacked by hand. Anyway that
bit went slowly but ok but once inside the terminal was heaving. I reached the view that the
principal problem was not the number of passengers that morning but the intrusion of point-of-sale
carousels outside shops which create pinch-points where people are passing. Also the huge alchohol,
watch and perfume counters along with the car raffle stand all take up valuable floor space. In
essence the retail areas are eating into the public spaces and folks are being squeezed into less
and less space. Another gripe was the uncleared tables in the refreshment areas. A radical solution
would be to put a performance clause in the catering contract that no table remains uncleared for
more than 90 secs or the provider gets jumped on. Frankly the impression remains that it is all
about max profit and travellers are just viewed as passive cash cows. It was a relief to see my
flight called and escape to the relative calm of the Easyjet waiting area. Before someone from BAA
mutters 'rubbish' (and there was enough of that around) I have worked in aviation for 36 years and
run a terminal and yes I know extra staff cost money but the trick is to motivate and manage them
whilst overall there is a balance to be struck and it is currently tilted the wrong way. One
constructive thought BAA - please put some signs on either the way down or at the bottom of the
escalator from the first floor that can be seen easily to show the direction of the various
departure gates, as it is people get to the ground floor and then cast around looking which way to
go and stumbling into each other as they swerve round the booze counter.
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