Connecting Heathrow to Gatwick in London

[ldnrdh]

Can anyone please tell me if changing airports in London is a major hassel, or what is the easiest way to do this. British Air wants us to clear customs and travel between the 2 within 3 hours at 5pm. I have no idea how to check this out, and hoped some cruisecritic folks would come through with advise. My 75 year old parents will be with us. Thanks ~ Leslie

[EJNutz]

I'vw never done a trnsfer between Gatwick and Heathrow. However there are coach transfers. I know that when I pass Heathrow iT would take me at least another 30 to 45 minutes to get to Gatwick via the M25 ( and that is if their is no traffic jam).

 

If you have a choice I would recommend not taking up the transfer between airports.

[ourlol]

Hassle!!! If you could have found a flight leaving from the same airport, then that would obviously have been better. Bear in mind too that 5 p.m. (if it is a weekday) will be rush-hour on the roads and busy. Heathrow Airport lies due west of London, while Gatwick Airport is due south of the city, approximately 45 miles by road from Heathrow. It's all motorway though.

 

When you say you have 3 hours. Is that supposed to include your check in time for your next flight i.e. is there just 3 hours between your arrival at Heathrow and your departure at Gatwick? If so, it will be very tight if you have got to wait to reclaim your luggage, find your transfer, travel to the next airport and checkin. Eeeeekkkkk!!

 

You can get a coach with National Express between the two airports. According to their website coaches leave every 10-15 minutes and the journey time is about an hour. Personally I would bank on it taking a little longer. If you click the link above for National Express, there is a 'book tickets online' form. I suggest you key in the relevant information, with correct Terminal info etc. to get details of the actual timetable for the date you need. Fares are approx £17.50 per person = £70 for 4 of you.

 

Alternatively, as a price guide only, you could get a licensed London Black Cab for about £95 or book an airport transfer, with for example CapitalMove for about £50. I can't recommend either of these particular companies however, since I haven't used them. I've also found a US telephone number for Black Cab London (another licensed company). "You can contact Black Cab London on 0800 169 5296 from the UK, or Toll Free 1-877 405 7622 from the USA". It might be worth giving them a call.

 

Have you asked British Airways themselves - particularly if it is they who are imposing the different airports on you.

Good Luck

Laura

[Globaliser]

Can anyone please tell me if changing airports in London is a major hassel, or what is the easiest way to do this. British Air wants us to clear customs and travel between the 2 within 3 hours at 5pm. I have no idea how to check this out, and hoped some cruisecritic folks would come through with advise. My 75 year old parents will be with us. Thanks ~ Leslie

If it's exactly three hours, this is going to be tight. That is the official "minimum connecting time" between the two airports.

 

However, there are two points of comfort. If you have a single ticket covering the entire journey and you happen to misconnect because of a travel snarl-up between the airports, BA should look after you. You don't say what route your journey is (or which day of the week it is) so I've got no idea how easy it might be to reaccommodate you on other flights.

 

In addition, if you're travelling on British Airways (it's not "British Air") for both sectors, you should be checked in already for the onward sector and have a boarding pass for it. That means that when you reach Gatwick, all you have to do is to go to the Fast Bag Drop desk, where there is usually little or no queue, to hand over your bags and get bag tags for them. You shouldn't need to queue up in the normal check-in queues.