Traveling with my mom who is in a wheelchair. Planning to fly into London in the Spring, spend a few days, then chunnel it to Paris.
With an elderly person that uses a wheelchair, which airport in London is better for us to fly into? Heathrow or Gatwick? I will be the only other person traveling with her and its up to me to handle wheelchair, and 2 carry on bags.
Have never been to England, so any help you could give would be great.
I would say Gatwick, simply because it is smaller and easier to get around in.
I second Gatwick. Easy to get around, fewer flights land there so not crowded usually. Gatwick Express is easy to use, too and Victoria Station is not difficult either. Will you be getting a cab from there? Or maybe you should pre-book what the brits call a "hire car" and have the driver meet you at Victoria.
If you'll be taking public transport to London Gatwick is better due to its smaller size and ease of getting to and from the departure points. If you are going to get a taxi Heathrow will probably be a less expensive ride.
Whichever airport you choose, I suggest that you book a private car service like www.justairports.com. There is a discount for paying cash. The fare for a saloon (sedan) will be around £30 from Heathrow and around £50 from Gatwick. You'll have door to door service and it will be a lot cheaper than a taxi all the way. It also will be cheaper than either the Heathrow Express to Paddington or the Gatwick Express to Victoria plus a taxi to your hotel.
But don't the majority of airlines from N. America land at Heathrow? It's not like one really has a choice of airports, at least not much of a choice.
Norma a signifincant number do land at Gatwick, though the majority land at Heathrow. All Charlotte flights land at Gatwick for example.
It also depends on which airline you are using. Some don't fly to Gatwick. Since he asked, though, I'm guessing the OP has a choice.
Ron, I'd also suggest Gatwick as it's a smaller airport and it will be much easier to get around, especially with a Wheelchair. While the Gatwick Express is a bit "pricey", it is an easy method for getting into London. Your decision may also be influenced by which part of London you're staying in, as if you use LGW you'll have to get from Victoria station to your Hotel. ¶ Tim's suggestion to use a car service is certainly worth considering, however it would be a good idea to tell them you'll have a Wheelchair, so that they dispatch a vehicle which can accommodate that (except for the London Taxi's, cars in the U.K. tend to be "compact"). Cheers!
