We are looking at going to Venice next October, flying on British. We will already be in London and just need to buy the London-Venice portion, RT. BA flights leave from both Heathrow and Gatwick, and the Heathrow ones seem much more expensive. Is there any reason we should be leery of Gatwick? We can easily get there from downtown London on the Gatwick Express, right?
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9099 posts
When given the choice I always fly out of Gatwick over Heathrow. It's smaller and more manageable, yet is just as easy to reach from central London via the Express and commuter trains. The two airports are now run by separate entities, and Gatwick has been undercutting their landing fees which would explain the fare difference.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
We much prefer to fly into and out of Gatwick. Not only is it smaller, it is well designed. You can take the Gatwick Express (from Victoria Station), Southern Trains service (from several different stations) or National Express Buses(not certain where to catch , but it might be Victoria Coach Station) to get there.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
16224 posts
That is great to know. Thanks everyone. The timing of the Gatwick flights works better for us too.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5513 posts
There is nothing wrong with Gatwick. I suspect the Heathrow one may be more expensive because people connecting from other flights are more likely to connect in Heathrow.
Posted by
chicago, il
113 posts
Depending on what part of the city centre in London and day of week one is going, First Capital Connect is another connection to Gatwick going out of the following: St. Pancras, City Thameslink, Blackfriars and London Bridge.
For further information, you can look at http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/ and make sure to check for engineering works.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
Lola, There's absolutely nothing wrong with Gatwick! I much prefer to use Gatwick rather than Heathrow, as it's considerably smaller than LHR and easier to get around. The Gatwick Express from London Victoria is an easy trip, and I don't have a problem with the price. In the overall budget of the trip, it's not a big deal. I believe it's possible to purchase Gatwick Express tickets online now at a cost of £16.85 PP (regular cost is £18.90 PP). These can be printed at home or sent to a Cellphone (UK numbers only). Happy travels!
Posted by
Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada
629 posts
We would pick Gatwick every time. We even picked up our rental car there.
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3941 posts
Sounds like what my hubby and I are doing this year(in 08, we flew Venice-Gatwick, this time we are doing Gatwick to Venice)...the prices are a lot cheaper, I'm guessing because of airport fees...our prob is we are flying into Heathrow (our only direct flights from our closest airport and using air miles are to HEathrow)...so we decided to spend the night in London and go to Gatwick the next day to fly to Venice and just take a day in London off the end of the vaca... That being said, nothing wrong with Gatwick in my opinion...
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
Maybe the one thing to keep in mind is that is costs GBP 3.50 to get to LHR from downtown London by underground whereas it's at least GBP 16.85 one way by Gatwick Express from Victoria (if bought online. It's more expensive if bought on the spot)... Other than that all handling is easier at LGW than at LHR. Also on incoming flights passport control is much, much faster at LGW than at LHR (especially T5).
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
16224 posts
More thanks! I'm convinced. Andreas, we do not use the tube to get into London anyway; we are so much happier on the train that we will pay for that. And it's nice that the Gatwick Express is cheaper than the Heathrow one; I see they are offering special on RT tickets for two traveling together, around 43 GBP for the "web duo". Maybe Nicole can use that?