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Heathrow or Gatwick

Posted by (Seattle, Wa, USA) on

The "search" function for the revised RS web site is not working for me so I am posting a question that has been asked many times before but I can't find the answer.

Next summer I will be spending a few weeks in London and then flying to Istanbul before returning the the USA. I will probably be staying in the Victoria or Lambeth neighborhood. Flights to Turkey, on the same airline,fly out of both Heathrow and Gatwick. Any suggestions on which airport to use? This would take into consideration such factors as the cost to get to the airport, travel time, and the matter of getting around at the airport and passing through security. For example, it appears to take less time to get to Heathrow but is there a trade off in getting around in the smaller Gatwick airport?

Posted by
9110 posts

I've never found the security at Heathrow to be the mess everybody complains about, but even if it were, the time would probably be a wash. It's cheaper and faster to get to Heathrow than Gatwick.

Posted by
2081 posts

Geor,

Im partial to Gatwick. Maybe since i like/accustomed to the Victoria Station and area.

to me, getting through the secturity @ Gatwick takes less time, but i will say that i have been using early flights too.

happy trails.

Posted by
9363 posts

I would look at price and scheduling of the flights. Which fits your budget or your plans better? I haven't had any bad experiences at Heathrow, either, but Gatwick is little less intimidating.

Posted by
5513 posts

Go with whichever flight has the better price and/or more convenient departure time.

From Victoria Station, it is slightly faster to get to Gatwick since you can take the train without changing.

Posted by
32201 posts

Geor,

I tend to prefer Gatwick as it's a smaller airport and easier to navigate. It's also very easy to get to from the Victoria Station area, either via the Gatwick Express, other rail connections or Coach (Bus) from the Victoria Coach station to either the north or south terminal (current fare £8.00 PP, trip ~1H:40M).

I try to avoid Heathrow whenever possible as it's so darn BIG.

Happy travels!

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