London Gatwick Airport

Arrived into London Gatwick from Orlando on BA2036. There was no airbridge to meet us and when one eventually arrived there were no ground staff to open the door and let us into the airport. This whole process took about 45 minutes. Once we got into the airport none of the e-passport gates were working - what's the point in having them? Then on to baggage claim which operated at snails pace which is usual. I've had the misfortune to use this airport numerous times and the whole experience is pathetic.

Appalling Passport Control. Arriving on a late flight back into Gatwick what had been a good journey turned bad once we got to passport control. A hold up occurred when the automated system took ages to let people through. Problems included people not understanding the system and having no obvious, easy instructions to follow. Also scanning of passports was very hit and miss. There were 2 people on duty to "help" who seemed to do very little.

Absolutely disgraceful service - we arrived from Faro to find a very long queue at passport control. They must know when several planes are coming in together so why don't they get their act together and put enough staff on? We saw 4 members of staff standing around doing nothing whilst the queue was getting ever longer.

Disgraceful and inefficient E-passport control that took forever upon arrival. Of all the technology available and passport controls I've experienced and walked through, this one at London Gatwick is a disgrace. The queues were long, and time to go through each person was slow. Machines can barely recognise you if there was a tiny difference in your looks (no one's going look good after a long day and 5hr flight). My partner in the non-EU passport line completed passport check faster than I did and even claimed baggage by the time I got out. Staff were rude and shouting instructions at me that I was already following and saying I wasn't doing it right when I was. I stood there for a very long time for the machine to scan my face etc. and still got rejected. For a UK citizen who has never had any problems in the past up to this point, this was frustrating and insulting to even be asked to take my glasses off by the security officer in the other line and because of a slight difference in my hair style. So advice is to be prepared to queue forever or just take the non-EU passport line. I guarantee its a lot faster.

Flying through Gatwick South Terminal was a pleasure. We did not experience check in as we used OLCI. Security was fantastic. The layout which allows you to sort your things in a non-confined area before screening is very good and the system which allows several people to load trays at one time is very efficient making the queues minimal. Security staff were very friendly and understanding. There is a wide range of shops and restaurants including some with a great runway view. There is a lot more seating available towards the gate areas. If I lived closer, I would use LGW a lot more often.

I used to like Gatwick airport, until they quietly introduced the charge for motorbikes parking, which is equal to the car price. This does not help passengers, creates more traffic on already congested routes around the airport, creates more problems for residents because more people abandon their cars on their streets, and it is simply unfair: the space a bike occupies is less than a car, and now it is the only London airport to charge bikes for parking. To add insult to the injury, the bikes are expected to pay car prices, but are not allowed to occupy the car spaces.

A small percentage of the security staff at Gatwick north departures on Monday afternoon were the pits with regards to respect and general attitude. I understand that they have a difficult job and Joe Public can be a bit of a pain at times. I also understand that procedures need to be adhered to especially in these difficult times. However, and this is a big however. My hand luggage passed muster and I had no problems with finding the exact spot to queue, stand and then find the numbered area to load my things on to trays but woe betide the traveler who hesitated for one second or who just double checked they were doing the correct thing. I really did feel sorry for some lovely people who were made to feel like idiots in front of their fellow travellers. There is a way to do things and whilst 90% of the staff were polite and professional, the 10% bully boys have completely lost the plot.

I travelled through London Gatwick last Saturday week en route to Dublin. Its a very different experience from Heathrow, security was friendly and fast. I dislike walking through the duty free mall (reminiscent of terminal three at Heathrow) en route to the lounge/gate areas. The renovation of the South Terminal is quite good although there is an "Old Kent Road" feel to the whole experience. The No1 lounge was fine on a quiet Saturday afternoon: the flight inbound was early so we had a fast, efficient flight to Dublin arriving 30 minutes early. Its hard to see where Gatwick goes as Terminal 2 and 5 at LHR are far superior to anything Gatwick offers. It will be interesting to see how the terminal "reshuffle" works over the next twelve months.

North terminal - if you fly with Easyjet be prepared to walk miles from the plane to the terminal, dragging your heavy case up and down stairs. Security staff were rude and ignorant. I was hurried through like it was a cattle market when there was no queue. They don't even give you chance to get your liquids out of your bag before barking at you to get it through the machine. Also this is the only airport I've encountered where they insist you take your Kindle out of your bag. They don't tell you to remove your shoes but I took mine off anyway (I was right). In departure lounge there are always queues for the ladies toilets. Not enough quiet lounges. Wifi is a total joke. Oh, and when your gate is finally announced you have at least a 15/20 minute walk to get there.

The bag searching staff were deliberately obstructive. My toiletries bag was sent for x-ray. The female searcher, fully aware that I was close to missing my flight deliberately delayed returning them to me. It took three enquiries, the last to the so-call manager before they were returned. Their customer service is truly appalling.