London Gatwick Airport

Regular user of this airport small but well signed facilities are OK but shops are limited. Border control has long delays.

Used this airport last month. Found the 'new' Gatwick a very good experience. The new security and passport area was excellent and having gone through Gatwick during the snow last February the contrast was stark. Seating areas were good especially the loungers in the upstairs area of South Terminal.

Have used London Gatwick (both the North Terminal with BA and the South Terminal with Easyjet) in the last few months and I agree with earlier comments that the overall experience and quality of service has improved under the new ownership. South Terminal security area is now much larger and brighter and I have never waited more than 5 minutes recently to pass through security. Selection of shops and restaurants is good and the departure lounges have always been clean and reasonably presented (notwithstanding a rather outdated feel and appearance overall). On my return from Italy on Sunday 27 May to the NT I was pleasantly surprised to find a very short EU immigration queue and clean bathroom facilities. Only criticisms would be a relatively long wait for baggage (which may actually be BA's fault) and the lack of a rail connection directly from the North Terminal.

Had a delayed flight of nearly 24 hours last week. The air-conditioning was too cold with a number of people complaining and trying to find warm spots around the seating area. The public address system was inaudible. We were having to guess what the messages were and hoping someone else on the same flight had managed to understand what was being said. For the size of the airport there was queues at the ladies toilets as there was very few cubicles. I've seen more cubicles at a cinema than in Gatwick airport.

My first trip from here for 4 years I was impressed. Based on my experience it is easily the best of the major London airports. Travelling out of and into North terminal was very easy no queues at check-in or security (early Saturday morning) and a couple of minutes at immigration (weekday afternoon) luggage arrived in the hall soon after we did. Buses to and from the long-stay car park also efficient. A good experience.

Out and back through North terminal en route to UVF with BA. Gatwick seems to be improving all the time under its new owners. New BA check in area excellent no queues at security excellent retail offer and short walk to gate. Staff all friendly much better than LHR. On return waited less than 5 mins at passport control - miraculous in the current climate - and bags delivered promptly. Very handy to know that if you're being picked up cars can drive into the short-term car park at N Terminal for 15 mins free of charge. Recent flights from S Terminal have also shown a big improvement in security queues.

Gatwick to Cologne last week. I am handicapped and used the disabled service. Staff were really helpful with my wheelchair. The one negative is that the waiting area for disabled people in the departure lounge seems to have been taken over as an extension of McDonald's. It became quite crowded. There were only 3 of us wheelchair people wearing "beepers" round our necks plus our spouses. I assume other passengers are not told who this area is prioritised for. It made wheelchair usage cramped and awkward. Service was friendly and efficient from the pleasant checking in point right up to help getting onto the plane.

I arrived with my elderly parents 21.4.12 at midnight from Malaga airport to a 100 minute queue for passport control. It was an absolute disgrace and a poor reflection of how the UK functions clearly a lack of leadership. No prioritising of children families or the elderly. A clear lack of boarder agency staff on the counters. I noticed at least 5 empty passport control stations - honestly what I experienced last night at Gatwick was a shameful indictment both to Gatwick Airport and it showed the boarder agency in a dreadful light. What on earth is it going to be like in the Olympic summer of 2012?

I fly in and out of LGW South Terminal every week. It's much better under the new owners than in the bad old days of BAA. Rarely have to wait more than 5 minutes at security and far fewer delays departing or arriving than to/from Heathrow. Unfortunately immigration is hit and miss with 20-30 minute waits not uncommon for EU passport holders (late evenings after 10pm usually pretty bad) and no IRIS machine at the South Terminal. Gatwick Express train service to/from central London also prone to delays. All in all not perfect but probably the best of a bad bunch of London airports.

Flew back into Gatwick North from Dubai. The only delay was at border control where only a few desks were manned by sour staff. Bags came through quickly on 2 belts which caused unwitting confusion.