Introduction and History - Gatwick airport is one of
the largest airports in their UK, handling over 30 million passengers a year.
It is the 6th and busiest airport in the world. the that complex has two main
terminal buildings, the north and south terminals. These are connected by a
monorail which takes around two minutes to get from one terminal to the other.
The airport is owned by BAA and assists over at 70 airlines flying to
destinations all over the world. The railway station connects London to the
airport it also has a coach station. the airport is located 25 miles south of
London. In 1930 a small Flying Club was established at the airport. In 1936
passengers went from Gatwick to Paris for the first time. In 1931 Gatwick was
a simple private grass airfield owned by the local Home Counties authority.
During their second world war Gatwick airport was used as a royal air force
base. In 1952 the government proposed that Gatwick provide an alternative
major airport to London Heathrow. In 1953 it was converted into a public
airport. In 1959 it opened new modern facilities including a 2000 ft runway
and terminal that incorporated a railway station. The M23 motorway also was
built connecting the airport to London. In 1978 it provided transatlantic
flights. Gatwick is situated 28 miles due south of London.
Facilities - include a post office, baby changing
rooms, showers, twenty four hour web cafe, left luggage facilities, lost
property service, children’s play area, a medical centre and prayer rooms..
TTT Moneycorp can be found in both terminals and provides a pre-order service
which can be pay on collection.. Disabled facilities include ramps, lifts,
reserved seating, designated parking for badge holders, induction loop,
disabled toilets, and a minicom service.. The monorail train connects the
North to South terminals and is free..
Food - the main food outlets inside the airport are
as follows: Caffè Uno provides an award winning Italian restaurant and
bar brings you the tastes and aromas of a land famed for its cuisine and
friendly trattorias. Caviar House provides purchase the finest Caviar, Balik
Salmon, Foie Gras and other worldwide delicacies. Caviar House Seafood Bar
provides a unique dining experience at our seafood bar. Chez Gérard provides
classic menu offering exquisite salads, steaks and sandwiches. Fine selection
of wines to enjoy in a cozy French environment. Costa provides freshly roasted
and ground coffee and hot drinks, served with passion. Sandwiches, salads,
cakes and pastries made with the finest Italian breads and ingredients.
Garfunkel's established in the heart of historic London over 25 years ago,
Garfunkel’s has been serving the best of British and American dishes ever
since. Open for breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and evening
meals. Wetherspoons provides relaxing, children-friendly pub offering
exceptional value. Wide choice of ales and wines, plus a choice of classic pub
food (till 22:00) with table service. Whistlestop provides fresh
sandwiches, salads, pastries, confectionary, drinks and snacks for your trip.
Stock up on bread, milk and other essentials on return from your holiday.
Shops - the main shops inside the airport are as
follows: Shops include - Accessorize - A modern, inspirational, globally
sourced collection of every kind of fashion accessory. Aqua provides a unique
highly designed bar dedicated to the sale of bottled water for your flight –
featuring a stunning water fountain in the centre. Austin Reed provides men's
and women's accessories, business and leisure wear. Boots provides health and
beauty essentials, including sun cream, insect repellent and other travel
essentials. Most stores have a pharmacy and prescriptions are available at the
following locations: Heathrow terminal 1 - before security Gatwick south
terminal - Gatwick village Stanstead - before security | Burberry - Fashion
and accessories for men and women with the timeless style and sophistication
that makes Burberry a classic label. Fat Face provides offering a relaxed
style of clothing, where Californian surf meets urban cool. French Connection
provides unique apparel tailored for holidaymakers with a global reputation
for style Game Grid provides you with a selection of video games and fruit
machines in a 'Vegas meets the local fairground' setting. Age restrictions
apply. Glorious Britain provides gifts and souvenirs that are quintessentially
British. Knickerbox provides latest fashions in lingerie, nightwear and
swimwear. Watch Station provides elegant watches and fashion accessories from
Fossil, Swatch and Storm. WHSmith provides books, newspapers, magazines,
snacks and drinks, cards and stationery. World Duty Free provides tax free
prices on duty free Liquor and tobacco, fragrance, skincare and cosmetics,
confectionery, sunglasses and watches. World of Whiskies provides wide
selection of the malts and blended whiskies, plus cigars, books and
accessories. Highly experienced staff to offer advice and assistance.
Connecting Airlines - the main airlines that fly to
and from this airport are Air Via, Air Zimbabwe, Airtours, Alitalia, American
Airlines, American Trans Air, AOM French Airlines, Arkia, Azerbaijani
Airlines, Balkan Bulgarian Base Business Airlines, BCM Airlines, Belavia,
Britannia Airways, British Airways, British European, British Midland, British
World Airlines, Caledonian Airways Cameroon Airlines, Canada 3000, City Flyer
Express, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Cubana, Cyprus Airways, EL AL
Israel, Estonian Air, Eurocypria European Air Charter, European Regional,
Flying Colours, Futura International, Garuda Indonesia, Iberia, Istanbul
Airlines, among many more.
Car Parking - each terminal has short term car
parking with terminal access. The is also Long stay Parking Express (South
Terminal) and Long stay - Flightpath (North Terminal).
Business Travellers - The Servisair executive lounge
provides drinks and snacks and entry is for a small fee. There are also
dedicated airline lounges in the departure area. Business facilities include
meeting rooms, telephone, fax, photocopy and secretarial services.
Getting There and Local Travel Connections - getting
there by road is simple... From the M23 at Junction 9 signposted. Gatwick is
linked to the M23 J9, ten minutes fro the London orbital motorway (M25). . The
main train connections are as follows: The station is directly under Gatwick's
South Terminal. Thameslink trains go every 15 minutes from London to Brighton.
Southern services every 15 minutes during the day to and from London
Victoria.. To reach the airport by taxi Checker cars provide taxis from the
airport. A fixed price system is in operation Swivel seats are available for
disabled travellers. Booking office are in both North and South Terminals.
Gatwick to London takes around one hour depending upon location and time of
day. . To use either bus or coach to get there The Gatwick Direct (route 200)
goes daily between Bewbush and Gatwick via Ifield and Gossops Green. The
Fastway (route 10) goes 24 hours from the Airport to to City Place, central
Crawley, Industrial Area, Broadfield and Bewbush. The monorail train connects
the North to South terminals and is free.
Local Tourist Attractions Near to Gatwick International
Airport - some of Sussex' local tourist attractions include:- fishbourne
roman palace, firle place, finchcocks, east grinstead town museum, drusilla's
zoo park, doll house petworth, de la warr pavilion, court hall museum, coombes
farm, chiddingstone castle, chartwell, charleston manor, brooklands weybridge,
brighton engineerium, brighton art gallery and museum, brickwall house,
bramber castle, borde hill garden, booth museum of natural history, bodiam
castle, bluebell railway, bignor roman villa, bexhill museum, bexhill manor
costume museum, bentley wildfowl trust, beachy head natural history centre,
bayham abbey, battle abbey, batemans, barbican house museum, arundel wildfowl
trust, arundel museum, arundel castle, anne of cleves house and amberley chalk
pits museum.
Airport Contact Details - the website address is
http://www.baa.co.uk and you can call them on ((0)870 000 2468). - . The
address of the airport is , Gatwick, West Sussex, RH6 0NP. The airport codes
are ICAO Code:EGKK and the IATA Code:LGW
Guide to Gatwick Airport