Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
This thread is a user guide to the new British Airways LGW (London Gatwick) South Terminal. Operations for BA's service in LGW transferred on 25 January 2017 from the North terminal. The purpose of this guide is to assist passengers in locating the services and facilities in LGW South. Background to the move here: BA move to LGW South Terminal
Gatwick to Heathrow transfer guide
BA Lounge First guide: click here. BA Lounge Club guide: click here.
Gatwick to Heathrow transfer guide
BA Lounge First guide: click here. BA Lounge Club guide: click here.
Gatwick (LGW) South Terminal - user guide for BA travellers
#106
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,176
I could not agree more. Amateurs and Volunteers. I get very irritated at the number of times that lifts or walkways are closed off for no apparent reason.
This is nothing to British Airways.
Worse is getting off the aircraft and heading down to the utterly inadequate Immigration Hall - you have to go down a flight of stairs. No Escalator - stairs. I simply do not know of a major airport in Europe or the USA where you have to do this.
All that said Security is so pleasant compared with the Sourpusses in T5. I actually prefer South Terminal - and I think that the Lounges are superb.
#107
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,803
There is a step free slope on the right hand side (takes a while to go around admittedly), steps on the left, and 2 lifts in the middle. So the steps are - for me - perfect, all those rollerboards are tempted elsewhere. On escalators airport people tend to lack that London Underground discipline....
#108
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: UK
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 174
There is a step free slope on the right hand side (takes a while to go around admittedly), steps on the left, and 2 lifts in the middle. So the steps are - for me - perfect, all those rollerboards are tempted elsewhere. On escalators airport people tend to lack that London Underground discipline....
#109
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: UK
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 174
Does anybody know how easy it is from LGW airside/lounges to go back landside (ie: exit the terminal) in case one decides not to fly? I have a rather unusual situation: I have a business trip that, due its nature, might be cancelled at the very last second. Due to time zones and the nature of this particular project there is a remote chance I might only know minutes before boarding... In which case I would offload myself and (very happily) go back home... I know what this entails at LHR but not at LGW. Is it doable or is it a major hassle?
Thanks in advance for any input!
Thanks in advance for any input!
#110
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: London
Posts: 778
You need to be de-controlled.... To do this go to the airline customer services desk (in South Terminal looking from the bottom of the escalators in the IDL back towards the exit from World Duty Free you'll see this tucked in the corner on the left). A staff member will need to escort you to immigration (and probably take you straight to the front) and once they've completed their formalities you will be free to continue on your way unaccompanied. As the airport is compact once a staff member has been identified to escort you it's just a short walk from the IDL out through one of the staff routes and downstairs to Immigration. You can't do this yourself as the Departures area that you will be in is segregated from the Arrivals routes where immigration is.
#111
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: UK
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 174
Thanks. This indeed worked (I should have reported back on this thread but forgot to do so). The F lounge called the customer services desk; they couldn't find anybody to take me through, so the very kind BA staff member ended up taking me through herself. Interestingly, I had to go through the red customs channel and the BA agent flagged me to the officers. She explained that at some point there were some "pros" who would come airside, buy a ton of duty free items (some shops offer the duty free price regardless of destination), cancel the ticket and go back landside (where presumably they would resell the goods at a profit?).
#112
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 2,962
Thanks. This indeed worked (I should have reported back on this thread but forgot to do so). The F lounge called the customer services desk; they couldn't find anybody to take me through, so the very kind BA staff member ended up taking me through herself. Interestingly, I had to go through the red customs channel and the BA agent flagged me to the officers. She explained that at some point there were some "pros" who would come airside, buy a ton of duty free items (some shops offer the duty free price regardless of destination), cancel the ticket and go back landside (where presumably they would resell the goods at a profit?).
#114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Falkirk, Scotland,VS Red, BA Gold, HH Diamond,UK Amex Plat
Programs: Master of the Privy Purse des Muccis
Posts: 17,911
I think the wiki ( at the top of this thread) says there is no dom-intl flight connections at LGW S south so you will have to exit and reenter
Regards
TBS
#115
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Gold; Accor Le Club Gold
Posts: 122
I've been an advocate for LGW in the past but yesterday had my first experience arriving on a domestic flight in the south terminal and have revised my view somewhat!
I was aware that arriving at LGW on a domestic flight would require a bus transfer. So I was surprised that we arrived from Glasgow into a rotunda gate with the jet-bridge attaching. But reality bit quickly as having left the jet-bridge I was invited to to walk down a flight of stairs. These stairs were in a shocking state with poor lighting and gaffer tape on almost every step attempting to secure the protective edge on the steps. From here onto the bus. Long wait as ever. Then a circuitous route by bus (and another delay to opening the doors while the driver argued with a sensor to register our bus) to arrive at a kerb (no ramp) with a narrow path along the side of a building and then into a stairwell with several flights of metal stairs or a long queue for a lift. In the baggage hall there was a sign saying that the Gatwick Connect service was closed. The toilets were very small and a queue had already formed for the gents by the time I got there. I was HBO but due to the long trek to get to the baggage hall, and with due credit to the baggage handlers, the bags were arriving on the belt as we entered.
All in all I thought a sub-standard experience and an embarrassment for a London airport.
I was aware that arriving at LGW on a domestic flight would require a bus transfer. So I was surprised that we arrived from Glasgow into a rotunda gate with the jet-bridge attaching. But reality bit quickly as having left the jet-bridge I was invited to to walk down a flight of stairs. These stairs were in a shocking state with poor lighting and gaffer tape on almost every step attempting to secure the protective edge on the steps. From here onto the bus. Long wait as ever. Then a circuitous route by bus (and another delay to opening the doors while the driver argued with a sensor to register our bus) to arrive at a kerb (no ramp) with a narrow path along the side of a building and then into a stairwell with several flights of metal stairs or a long queue for a lift. In the baggage hall there was a sign saying that the Gatwick Connect service was closed. The toilets were very small and a queue had already formed for the gents by the time I got there. I was HBO but due to the long trek to get to the baggage hall, and with due credit to the baggage handlers, the bags were arriving on the belt as we entered.
All in all I thought a sub-standard experience and an embarrassment for a London airport.
#116
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Lincolnshire, UK
Programs: BA GGL - maybe only briefly!
Posts: 1,378
I like Gatwick* for the ease of security and the lounge - but then we are almost invariably HBO from there. However, the gate issue is a farce when holding pens are used. The initial post seems to imply that one can pass through priority boarding and BP?passport check, and then straight on to the aircraft - 'I can't see the seats being much used on short haul flights in normal circumstances'.
In our experience, we have gone through the BP/passport check desk (where any suggestion of priority lanes seems pointless as you end up in the same pen) and then sat around until boarding has started - whereupon it has been an uncontrolled scrum to get down the jetty as there has been no policing of priority or group number at that stage.
* and I should have said I like this article, useful and very informative as usual CWS - thanks.
In our experience, we have gone through the BP/passport check desk (where any suggestion of priority lanes seems pointless as you end up in the same pen) and then sat around until boarding has started - whereupon it has been an uncontrolled scrum to get down the jetty as there has been no policing of priority or group number at that stage.
* and I should have said I like this article, useful and very informative as usual CWS - thanks.
Last edited by vintagepilot; Oct 10, 2018 at 11:45 am
#117
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: Honors Diamond
Posts: 1,639
I like Gatwick* for the ease of security and the lounge - but then we are almost invariably HBO from there. However, the gate issue is a farce when holding pens are used. The initial post seems to imply that one can pass through priority boarding and BP?passport check, and then straight on to the aircraft - 'I can't see the seats being much used on short haul flights in normal circumstances'.
In our experience, we have gone through the BP/passport check desk (where any suggestion of priority lanes seems pointless as you end up in the same pen) and then sat around until boarding has started - whereupon it has been an uncontrolled scrum to get down the jetty as there has been no policing of priority or group number at that stage.
* and I should have said I like this article, useful and very informative as usual CWS - thanks.
In our experience, we have gone through the BP/passport check desk (where any suggestion of priority lanes seems pointless as you end up in the same pen) and then sat around until boarding has started - whereupon it has been an uncontrolled scrum to get down the jetty as there has been no policing of priority or group number at that stage.
* and I should have said I like this article, useful and very informative as usual CWS - thanks.
The trick seems to be to turn up at the gate from the lounge somewhere from just before group 1 being called to somewhere slightly before group 4 being called. In this circumstance you can usually get pretty quickly into the gate lounge and then on to the aircraft without much hanging around. I generally aim to leave the lounge between 35 and 40 mins before departure to be at the gate BP check 5 mins later - however I’m a pretty fast walker.
#118
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,195
On my last couple of LGW-AMS there has been a staffer at the door to the jetway checking BPs for group numbers and also announcements about what group is being boarded.
And the have generally told people in later groups to wait their turn.
And the have generally told people in later groups to wait their turn.
#119
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Glasgow and Asia
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 510
So, recently I was bored and had a wait coming form the nice exec rooms at the Hilton (thanks Hilton for the upgrade) which were like a nice 3* room, but I didn't like the smell from the non exec corridors. That made me think I wouldn't like to stay there again if I wasn't in the Exec rooms.
Option are the Sofitel in the North terminal. I wondered, which is closer time wise to the south terminal. Well walking from the back of the Hilton to the terminal takes longer than leaving the Sofitel and taking the train. So I immediately booked the Sofitel for my Feb Trip.
I've stayed in the BLOC and it is okay and close.
Option are the Sofitel in the North terminal. I wondered, which is closer time wise to the south terminal. Well walking from the back of the Hilton to the terminal takes longer than leaving the Sofitel and taking the train. So I immediately booked the Sofitel for my Feb Trip.
I've stayed in the BLOC and it is okay and close.