The best times to visit the London Gatwick Airport rush hours is to travel either early in the morning or late night because that is the time when the normal traffic is asleep. The peak-times at Gatwick Airport in morning are from 7AM to 10AM and 4PM to 7PM in the evening.
Most people don't like the time wake-up times required to hit the earliest flights out of the airport, so a “first flight of the day” oftentimes offers less packed airplanes as well as easy breezy airport concourses. As a bonus, the early morning flights almost always have the best on-time records.
There's no fixed time given by the airport stating how early passengers can go through the security check. But for a guarantee of minimal stress, arriving 2-4 hours early is recommended. If you want, you can even travel 6 hours ahead. It's wise to give yourself some cushion for ease of mind.
Also, since early-morning flights aren't as popular, there are fewer of them. This means the national airspace isn't as congested as it usually is later in the day, minimizing the risk of air-traffic-related delays. In my case, traveling in the morning was the only way I could pull off a same-day trip.
The general guideline on how early to get to the airport for a domestic flight is 2 hours. However, those traveling at a very busy time of year or out of a large airport might want to allow more time.
At the Gatwick Airport:Arrive at the airport early to avoid long queues and ensure you have enough time for security checks and boarding. Go through security as soon as you arrive at the airport. You'll need to remove your shoes, belt, and jacket, and you may need to have your carry-on bag x-rayed.
Passport Control: Everyone arriving at Gatwick has to go through passport control. This can mean wait times of 5-20 minutes or an upwards of 1 hour depending on the amount of travelers.
If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM. Depending on how far you live from the airport, this could mean getting on the road around 3AM or 3:30AM; traffic should be minimal at this time, as should check-in and security lines.
Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight.
The general guideline on how early to get to the airport for a domestic flight is 2 hours. However, those traveling at a very busy time of year or out of a large airport might want to allow more time.
Heathrow is London's (and the country's) main and busiest airport. Gatwick follows as the secondary and second busiest airport. Heathrow is larger and has better links in and out of the airport to Central London. Heathrow has five terminals and four runways.
At YOTELAIR London Gatwick Airport, our day rates are perfect for a long transit or unexpected layover. Cabins (YOTELAIR-speak for bedrooms) can be booked for as little as four hours or as long as overnight.
The airport is open all night so if you are planing on sleeping at Gatwick you'll want to arrive late enough so you can just arrive and put your head down straight away.