T8191

No change that I’m aware of, and we pass through relatively often. Last connection was 9 Oct, from MLA and moving on to JER, where it was still the irritating full Arrival and start all over again for Departure.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes as indicated by UncleT, there isn't a mechanism for dealing with international passengers mixing with Common Travel Area departures as there is in LHR and MAN, so consequently in this case you would have to enter landside and then go back up to departures. Your checked luggage will just go all the way through though.

Dselvan

Thank you both for replies. Guess am used to the relative ease at LHR with connecting, so this is an extra headache to embrace!!!

BruceyBonus

I haven't read through all 10 pages, but I've got some updates for the main article.

Photos are taken by the pre-security barriers for all CTA flights (including Ireland, e.g. Dublin).

I've seen Pier 1 used by BA flights, mostly domestic. A number of these gates are equipped with automated boarding pass and photo machines (same as the type before security) that check the photo taken before security. These machines let you into the gate area, your boarding pass is then checked again by staff before boarding the plane.

Quote:

All domestic arrivals must result in a bus transfer. This is because there isn't space in South to segregate international and domestic arrivals. After the bus journey to the terminal building there is quite a stiff set of stairs up to baggage reclaim and exit, with no flight connections route. I would very much advise people to take the lifts, just beyond the stairs. There is no escalator.

If the flight arrives at Pier 1, you can walk through to domestic arrivals without a bus.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, gates 2 and 3 now have multi-user bio-scan gates, rather than one GAL individual doing all of them - that still happens elsewhere and they have a mobile gate for that. The multi user gates means that this no longer is the blocker to speedy boarding for LGW's departures to JER, GLA and EDI.

For UK arrivals, this is the best thread with the direct access to landside:
New LGW Domestic Arrivals now open (23 July)

T8191

My experience with the Pier 1 e-gate devices has seen a 50% failure rate and lengthy queues as people try to get them to work ... before often being sent for a manual check by the one operator at a desk. The Staff aren't very impressed either!

PrivatePilotDR40

What’s the earliest bag drop in the morning at Gatwick. I have a 0555 departure and want to make the most of the lounge at Gatwick.

corporate-wage-slave

03:30 hrs, may God help you. But the lounge only opens at 04:45 or 05:00 depending on the day of the week, so that's the bigger issue. You can check bags in the night before.

acerockstar

Does anyone know how to exit Gatwick south airside and return to landside? Is the only way to ask a member of staff?

bisonrav

You go to the airline services desk, downstairs, and ask. If you have lounge access you can ask in there as well, but they'll direct you to the same place. They take people out periodically.

danmushman

Anyone had any recent experience doing this? Are they likely to be and problems doing so (I assume it happens fairly frequently if people miss flights or a flight gets cancelled).

1Aturnleft

Pre pandemic it was a case of taking people back out from the information desk with a chaperone on the hour if needed. From there you would just come back in via departures/security in the normal way. Not sure what the situation is these days.
If this were for a smoking break the mylounge (Priority Pass access) has an outside terrace where you can smoke airside without having to go back out. If you don't have a Priority Pass, £30pp secures access.

1Aturnleft

Frequent user of Gatwick on a point to point basis but find myself about to be in transit there in South Terminal for the first time.

Scenario 1
International arrival on BA from Spain in transit (same ticket) to International departure on BA to the USA. Travelling HBO.

Scenario 2
International arrival on BA from the USA International deparure on IB to Spain on separate tickets. Travelling HBO.

Can anyone advise how I get to departures without clearing the UK Border. I've probably walked past it completely oblivious 100+ times on my march to the UK border but this the first time I find myself questioning where this might actually be in South Terminal.

Secondly is there a transit desk where I can pick up my IB boarding pass on arrival at LGW South, again without having to process the UK Border? My transit time is just over 2hrs however so its doable to go landside if absolutely needed, however my plan is to get up to the BA lounge for some breakfast and a shower (if those facilities are still available in the BA Galleries Club?)

Any insight greatly appreciated

corporate-wage-slave

Pre pandemic there was a Flight Connections route in the area to the right of the UK Border (facing the Border Force desks) and a BA help desk. It is clearly signed. This led to a security search point and an escalator up to departures. This can only be used on international to international departures. For IB, I would suggest you get the App working since I can't see BA offering the IB boarding pass given that BA and IB are on different systems. If you can't get a boarding pass you will need to go landside.

I don't know if there are any recent changes, but LGW is operating fairly normally by all accounts, apart from a shortage of ATC staff.

CD747

I wonder if anything is likely to be done about the layout at the 30s gates. I’ve twice been held up because other flights (at different gates) were boarding meaning nobody could disembark until one finished. It’s a huge pain and I don’t understand why it was designed that way


I had to do this at Gatwick North a couple of weeks ago, and it was an utter nightmare. It was after the last easyJet flight and the person on the IDL desk went off shift promisijg another person would arrive to de-control me but the ‘fat decontroller’ never arrived and the desk was left unmanned. Gatwick Security/special assistance/cleaners/etc, and other handling agents contactable by phone, said it wasn’t their problem; and there were no phone numbers for easyJet. I was stuck there for hours until someone finally asked what I was doing and escorted me out.

Hopefully this wouldn’t happen with BA in the South Terminal. And why they need all this faff with an escort and red channels, when Heathrow gets by with a simple one-way door, is a total mystery to me.