First time from Gatwick

We're relatively new to the VS scene, but since meeting each other 5 years ago, my fiancee and I have travelled extensively between the US and UK, but never have found it in our schedules to travel to/from Gatwick.

Well, our 5 year anniversary is in November, so we booked a trip to Orlando before Thanksgiving and managed to snag two G's as well! Went to choose the seats this morning and poof! someone had snapped up 6A/K! Ever since we had those seats on one of the last LHR 744s to EWR, we always wanted to travel in Zone A again (as so many of you have said).

That being said, those that are more familiar with these routes I'm sure have some great info to share as always.

How is Gatwick compared with LHR? Security/clubhouse and general experience? What is the best way to get there, privately or publicly, considering we're coming from North London. Any other advice would be great!

I cant give you a comparison as I have only been to the Gatwick Clubhouse.
I enjoyed it, nice food comfortable seating and internet access on their terminals if you want.
There is a spa although neither of us used it. Mrs D enjoys a neck massage but didn't want to get oiled up before a flight.
Even though we live less than 40 miles away we take a taxi to the airport the day before and stay at the Hilton. There is a walk way through to the terminal, with luggage trollies at the start of the walk. If you have a business room then you get access to the lounge which has free snacks and drinks in the evening. Last year I upgraded to a business room when we arrived and it cost £30 at the desk. It doesn't take much to get that back in drinks in the evening.
I checked in on line from the Hilton lounge and then just did a bag drop in the morning.
Shame you missed row 6, that's my favourite but in fairness it's a small cabin on the Gatwick route and I wouldn't object to any pair of seats. You can always sit on foot stool for a chat, or go up to the bar.
Have a great time.
Dick D

Hi Syrome

Congrats on bagging G's! Enjoy Orlando

As 6A & K have already been requested, you might consider 7 & 8A or 7 & 8K. If you have the furthest seats back they'll be near the bar which can be noisy or quiet, depending on the other pax. Do keep checking that 6A & K don't suddenly become available, perhaps another V-Flyer has bagged them.

The LGW CH is a very pleasant way to pass the time waiting for your flight. Great improvements have been made to both terminals. I was there two weeks ago & I enjoyed every moment, as always.

Personal plan:

After a warm welcome from reception staff, watch to treatment reception & book a treatment, either complimentary or paid, depending on time available both for me & therapists.

Have breakfast in the restaurant seating area. Usually have the smoked salmon.

Treatment is usually directly after breakfast.

Find comfy chair overlooking aircraft & have glass of bubbles & second breakfast, usually have pancakes or similar sweet treat.

Have glass of bubbles & a cookie or two.

Board.

I can't help you with public transport from North London but have no doubt another V-Flyer will be able to assist.

A popular idea is staying over the night before at one of the several hotels at LGW & completing Twilight check in.

Leg it off the plane to immigration, hopefully the automated system will be in use & you can be on your way with the minimum of delay.

Enjoy Orlando, if you want, do try to go to Sweet Tomatoes for a great cheap meal, fabulously fresh & free people watching

If returning UC, the use of the Delta Lounge is useful but nothing really to write home about. Do remember that the lounge doesn't have a food licence & you're not allowed to take food in, the staff are very hot on this. Snacks are served along with drinks but nothing substantial.

Looking forward to your TR.

TTFN

Roxy-Popsy

The LGW Clubhouse is far smaller (but many say more friendly) than LHR.

Food is more limited - there's no deli, for example. It's just a breakfast menu plus the ubiquitous Clubhouse burger IIRC.

The spa is also much smaller - only a couple of therapists on duty normally and no hairdressing. Book ASAP on arrival.

It's still the best lounge at LGW though.

I'd say security at LGW South Terminal is very good since they completely renovated it recently and moved it upstairs. Normally very quick and friendly (and you'll be able to use priority, although sometimes normal is quicker).

On leaving security ignore the escalators that take you downstairs (unless you want to shop). Instead look for a door that takes you into a corridor that leads past some toilets on to the upper level of main departures. Turn right then look for the Clubhouse entrance on your right.

As for getting to LGW, the train is probably easiest if you want to use public transport. Thameslink run every 15 minutes or so from St Pancras which is convenient for most of north London. Journey time 45-60 mins. Alternatively get to Victoria from where there are usually about 8 trains an hour - 4 Gatwick Express (30 minutes, expensive) and 4 Southern (35-45 minutes, cheaper).

On arrival at LGW the rail station's directly linked to the South Terminal which VS currently use, so a very easy transfer.

Just to echo what the others have said, the LGW CH doesn't have the "look at me!" ostentatiousness of the LHR CH, but the staff there are attuned to the fact that most who use it are off on holiday and do add to (what MrsPJH refers to as) "the fizzle".

MrsPJH swears by the nail service at the Treatment centre.

Like Dicky D-C, we usually opt to stay the night before at the Hilton to eliminate same day travel stress. Can be a steal @30K Hilton points if your an Hhonors member, and upgrades to the Exec Floor are reasonably priced if you don't have status. Decent drinks and so-so snacks between 6 and 9, and we usually nip back to the terminal to grab better snacks from M&S.

I have always enjoyed the Gatwick Clubhouse, as others have said a stay at the Hilton the night before your flight is a nice & stress free way to start a holiday.

oldboy

You should be able to pre book a taxi for about £75 (have found one for £58 that I am going to try in a few weeks for the trip to GTW)

Would give the trains a miss as likely to be packed and the line from St Albans through North London has dirty trains and a very annoying buzzing noise! The other line from Watford/Harrow is slightly better for comfort but you have to change at Clapham Junction and the first train is probably one of the slowest I have ever been in. Also the trains are not built for luggage (neither is the Gatwick Express which I used a couple of weeks ago from Brighton, it didn't stop at Gatwick either which was ironic). Above all avoid using the tube,

Check in at Gatwick is quick in Upper not so quick for the other people who will be sitting behind you!

Seem to remember security is quick and you get called for your flight a couple of times although it can be a bit of a walk to the gate.

Sorry to jump in on this one, but I have a question that comes under this too. Have my first trip with Virgin from LGW coming up - usually go out of my way to avoid flying from there with BA as I've ended up waiting for luggage there for over an hour every time I've been through. Do Virgin suffer from this in the South Terminal?

Am also staying at the Hilton the night before we fly down to GND, have a daft amount of Hilton points from my work travel (was touching on 2 million recently), so have bagged a King Suite - my wife thinks we're in a standard room so she should be pleasantly surprised!

Sorry to jump in on this one, but I have a question that comes under this too. Have my first trip with Virgin from LGW coming up - usually go out of my way to avoid flying from there with BA as I've ended up waiting for luggage there for over an hour every time I've been through. Do Virgin suffer from this in the South Terminal?

Am also staying at the Hilton the night before we fly down to GND, have a daft amount of Hilton points from my work travel (was touching on 2 million recently), so have bagged a King Suite - my wife thinks we're in a standard room so she should be pleasantly surprised!

Congrats on the Hilton Suite.
As to baggage collection every time I have flown either PE or Upper my bags have arrived within minutes.
Dick D

[honey lamb]

While the Clubhouse doesn't have the WOW! factor of the LHR one, the staff there are excellent and go out of their way to ensure you have a good start to your holiday. Many regulars through both airports prefer the LGW one to the LHR one because of the personal service.

Gatwick has improved immeasurably since it was sold by BAA (or whatever it is called now). Security is usually quick and efficient - I was through recently on the UK August Bank Holiday Monday for a non-VS flight (Ryanair actually, but we won't go there ) and the lines were minimal. I think that it helps having a separate area for families and those needing special assistance.

I have always stayed in the LGW area overnight before a flight - mainly because the one-day-a-flight from and to Cork arrives after the last VS flight to anywhere from LGW has left. I have always stayed in the Hilton which is attached to the South Terminal but there are other good hotels ranging from the Premier Inn to the Sofitel attached to the North Terminal which is just a monorail ride away as well as others accessed by the Hoppa buses.

The rail service from Bedford to Brighton is a good service but, as has been said, is not suitcase friendly if the train is busy. Mind you, neither is the Piccadilly Line to LHR.

The one negative experience I had from LGW (and it was mentioned in a recent TR - perhaps ultreen's) was the people manning the check-in lines who seem to pre-judge you when you arrive in the UC area. Some years ago I arrived with my then teen-age son at the UC area at exactly the same time that a family headed by a patriarch wearing a blazer and cravat arrived at the PE area. The lady manning the lines swithered between the two of us and decided that the other family were more worthy of attention than we who were standing at the UC side of the ropes. "Travelling in Premium Economy, sir?" sez she to the patriarch. He affirms the same and she duly processes the extended family party and sends them on their way. She then turns to me and in patronising tones usually used to the old and bewildered, says, "Travelling in Economy, then?" OK, so I'm white-haired (and have been since I was 30) and I have a 15 year old in tow but I was furious that she had taken for granted that I was in the wrong area. I politely replied that we were travelling in UC and that in any case we were both Gold members and therefore entitled to use the UC check-in area! Immediately she became all sweetness and light but I was so mad about her assumption that we were EC passengers (nothing against them - my annoyance was about her attitude. After all any of us could have scrimped and saved for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in UC) but it was too late. My attitude towards her would have eclipsed Elsa in Frozen!! Hopefully this will not happen to you.

Security is usually quick and efficient. I think that it helps having a separate area for families and those needing special assistance.

Manchester please note.

It defeats the whole object of Fast Track if you use it for all the people who (through no fault of their own) take longer to process than everyone else.

The one negative experience I had from LGW (and it was mentioned in a recent TR - perhaps ultreen's) was the people manning the check-in lines who seem to pre-judge you when you arrive in the UC area. Some years ago I arrived with my then teen-age son at the UC area at exactly the same time that a family headed by a patriarch wearing a blazer and cravat arrived at the PE area. The lady manning the lines swithered between the two of us and decided that the other family were more worthy of attention than we who were standing at the UC side of the ropes. "Travelling in Premium Economy, sir?" sez she to the patriarch. He affirms the same and she duly processes the extended family party and sends them on their way. She then turns to me and in patronising tones usually used to the old and bewildered, says, "Travelling in Economy, then?" OK, so I'm white-haired (and have been since I was 30) and I have a 15 year old in tow but I was furious that she had taken for granted that I was in the wrong area. I politely replied that we were travelling in UC and that in any case we were both Gold members and therefore entitled to use the UC check-in area! Immediately she became all sweetness and light but I was so mad about her assumption that we were EC passengers (nothing against them - my annoyance was about her attitude. After all any of us could have scrimped and saved for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in UC) but it was too late. My attitude towards her would have eclipsed Elsa in Frozen!! Hopefully this will not happen to you.

This makes me really angry on your behalf. Customer service training really ought to cover the fact that anyone, anyone, could be travelling in UC and you should be polite to all customers regardless of class of travel. She would have been better simply saying "Hello, which class are you travelling in?" to you. Or even better, before diverting attention to the family, simply asking out loud "is anyone waiting in line travelling in Upper Class with us today?" to avoid causing offence. We have some wealthy friends who always travel in First/UC, but they do not wear suits to do so; they look like ordinary people. It's a rule car dealerships have had to learn, too. Don't turn away business because you make the false assumption that someone can't afford your wares; it can cost you business.

This makes me really angry on your behalf. Customer service training really ought to cover the fact that anyone, anyone, could be travelling in UC and you should be polite to all customers regardless of class of travel. She would have been better simply saying "Hello, which class are you travelling in?" to you. Or even better, before diverting attention to the family, simply asking out loud "is anyone waiting in line travelling in Upper Class with us today?" to avoid causing offence. We have some wealthy friends who always travel in First/UC, but they do not wear suits to do so; they look like ordinary people. It's a rule car dealerships have had to learn, too. Don't turn away business because you make the false assumption that someone can't afford your wares; it can cost you business.

Agree 100%. This is not just a LGW problem (past or present). The ground staff "guarding" the PE & UC Check-in queues at MAN do exactly the same. I have had the "travelling economy sir?" line after they look you up and down - when I was travelling in Upper Class.

I guess the big difference (& ISTBC if wrong) is that the ground staff at LGW are in-house Virgin employees. The MAN operation is outsourced (Swissport). If anything, the outsourced staff should be more on their toes, as it's quite easy to end a contract if service levels are not being met.

Have not experienced this type of behaviour from ground staff yet, despite often dressing very casual - shorts and t-shirt, although I draw the line at flip flops. I normally have my boarding card out as soon as I get to the greeter with a smile, ready to answer their security questions. I normally only encounter rude/curt behaviour at check in when coming back to the UK from abroad. I would not even say it is a training issue, you can't train people to be happy. Not sure what it is as check in agents with other airlines such as Southwest have been friendly. You see it in all the trip reports - ground staff hardly ever get 5 stars. Anyway I normally find this type of behaviour amusing as in an couple of hours I will be sat on a plane sipping champagne, whilst Mr and Mrs Rude are not!

Thanks for everyone for the replies, I've booked the Hilton for the evening before and will try twilight checkin, and will probably have someone drive us the evening before so we are not rushed that morning all the way down to Gatwick!

Went to choose the seats this morning and poof! someone had snapped up 6A/K!

Syrome, if you're on the '27 on 23rd November, then I apologise: I grabbed 6a and 6k bang on 8am. SORRY!

Went to choose the seats this morning and poof! someone had snapped up 6A/K!

Syrome, if you're on the '27 on 23rd November, then I apologise: I grabbed 6a and 6k bang on 8am. SORRY!

21st! I went at 8:30 and they were gone! My own fault for being lazy!