Am thinking of booking the No 1 Lounge for us and our child (3 yrs) before our flight to DR in 2 weeks. We have an early check in and then dont fly until noon. Has anyone used the lounge, is it worth doing do you think? For instance we will prob check out of our hotel before breakfast, do you get free food (breakfast) in the lounge.
thanks

Here are some reviews for you to look through from the Holiday extra website.

http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/airport-lounges/gatwick/no-1/feedback.html

Angie.

Quick question for those of you that have checked in with Thomas Cook at Gatwick. Do you know how early they open their check in desks for long haul flights? It's looking like we may be arriving around 5 hours before our departure so ideally we'd like to check in and get through security ASAP
Thanks,

John

For the Dom Rep this year the check in desks with Thomas Cook were open 4 hours before departure. However these were for all Thomas Cook flights - not just Dom Rep. The check in was similar to Easyjet - around 6 or more desks open for loads of different flights.

Was your Dom Republic a nightmare? Our flight is at 11.55 I think and we are staying at Gatwick the night before. I am hoping we get through check in as easy as possible as we have a 3 year old with us who is likely to be a pain!

Hi Rachael, not exactly sure who you are flying with but if you're staying the night before at Gatwick it might be worth finding out if your airline does twilight check-in or day-before-check-in. sometimes it might be only for early flights and i see yours is at 11.55 , but its worth finding out if its possible, that way you only have to carry your hand luggage and can go straight to security as you already have your boarding cards, one less thing to have to queue for on the day! and if possible you might be able to have a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast before a long flight.

Rachaelb - it wasn't too bad actually. Perhaps you could take a small new tooy with you & present it at the airport if the little one becomes a pain. We flew through the security & baggage re claim in the Dom Rep.

Thats good to know. We are flying with TC too- to Punta Cana, next week. We will pack the trusty DS and DVD player, that normally keeps her quiet. The new toy idea is great too, thanks

Gatwick transit to close until next summer

Replacement buses will replace the transit service at Gatwick Airport from next week.

The airport is replacing the transit service, installed in 1987, as part of a £1bn investment programme.

Passengers switching terminals are being advised to allow 20 minutes for the journey.

The existing transit will be removed from service on September 28 until two new Shuttles come into service in May and July next year.

The new Shuttle service will be fully operating at the start of August 2010.

A replacement bus service will operate from the upper forecourt of both terminals every three minutes during the day (0400hrs-1800hrs) and every six minutes at night.

With permission from Travelmole

Can someone advise on the lounges at the South Terminal. It appears there are 2? Serviceair and No 1.
They both say you can have access to the lounges for the three hours before your flight is scheduled, but, you go to the boarding gate about an hour before the take off time, so do you only actually have use of the lounge for two hours?
Can I see outside from either of these lounges and watch a bit of plane activity?
Any preferences for the lounges? Do you book via BAA.co.uk or elsewhere?
Any discount codes?

Hi Mobor,

The No 1 lounge has only been open a short while, and from what I have read most people like it. I think there is a waiter service rather than self serve. I have only ever used the Aviance or Servisair Lounge at Gatwick and have liked both.

We go in before the 3 hour limit and have never been refused entry. They say 3 hours max stay because the lounges can get very busy at certain times of the year. Overall, I think we are in there over 2 hours.

I know the 'now boarding' sign appears on the tv screens, but we tend not to rush because what is the point of spending £18.50 or whatever you are charged, to rush down to the gate and sit there for about 45 minutes before you all board? We usually ask the staff on the desk in the lounge whether our gate number is a long way away, then we decide when to go down to the gate.

One year we went down to the gate to find out that our flight would be delayed for 1 1/2 hours. We went back to the lounge to ask if they would let us back in and they said yes and they didn't charge us extra.

If you go on to the holiday extras website, they have lounge reviews on there.

We do have a dedicated topic on the lounges.

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=24790

Sheila

I did a quick search and couldnt find the answer to this, sorry if its been asked a million times.

Its been ages since I flew through Gatwick, can anyone let me know if all the shops are duty free, or is it just the main duty free shop. EG, would sunglasses hut, fat face, Quiksilver etc all be duty free?

thanks

Hi Rachael, after you've passed through security then the shops are tax free , usually about 15% cheaper than the high street, basically vat free for the type of goods you would buy from the shops you listed,

duty free refers to alcohol and tobacco as in the goods for sale on the uk high street are subject to government duty as well as VAT , there's a big difference in tobacco prices as duty is high in the uk and alcohol duty is applied by the %age strength.

The other shops like WHSmiths are not cheaper than the uk high street , in many instances more expensive despite selling goods like chocolate and soft drinks which have VAT on them.

Miss Pink,

What Makes You Say That?, This Question Is Better In Our Gatwick Airport Thread Over On The Flights Forum.

At North Terminal You Can Use The Upper Ramp
At South Terminal You Can Use The Short Seat Car Park

Gower

Reason I asked is is Dazbo said in in the previous thread (sorry can't copy it) is that you can't drive up to any airport terminal building ?

Miss Pink,

Darren Is Correct, You Cant Drive Up To The Terminal Buildings At Any UK Airport, But Taxis Get As Close As They Can, Hence Where They Are Situated At Gatwick (See Post Above)

Gower

Oh I see - Sorry Gower don't know about being pink being blonde

Miss Pink wrote:

Reason I asked is is Dazbo said in in the previous thread (sorry can't copy it) is that you can't drive up to any airport terminal building ?

Details of drop off and pick up points are on Gatwicks website. You have to use the designated areas as Gower mentions.

Darren

I know that now Dazbo, I misunderstood what you said in previous post

BAA sells Gatwick

Gatwick is being sold for £1.51 billion to London City Airport owner, US-based Global Infrastructure Partners.

BAA announced its plans to sell Gatwick in September 2008, before the end of the Competition Commission's UK airports market investigation.

The agreement will lead to greater competition between airports serving London.

Chief executive Colin Matthews said: "Gatwick and its people have long been a central part of BAA and we are proud of the airport's development as one of the world's leading international airports.

"BAA is changing and today's announcement marks a new beginning for both Gatwick and BAA. We wish Gatwick well for the future and are confident that the airport will flourish under new ownership.

"BAA will focus on improving Heathrow and our other airports."

The company has also been ordered to sell Stansted and one of Glasgow or Edinburgh airports, but is appealing against the decision.

The sale of Gatwick, which is subject to approval by the European Union, is due to be completed in December.

Gatwick, which employs around 2,500 people, opened in 1958 and is the busiest single runway airport in the world, handling 32.2 million passengers in the year to September.

With permission from Travelmole