The peak times at London Gatwick Airport is from 7 AM to 10 AM in the morning and 5 PM to 8 PM in the evening.
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According to Gatwick's official website, it is advised people leave at least two hours before their flight to allow for all the necessary time to check in and pass through security.
With both North and South terminals, Gatwick can be tricky to navigate. This guide will help you find everything you'll need during your next Gatwick visit.
The busiest slots are at 6am when flights out start, so at 7, there will be a bit of a lull, although there will be plenty of commuters taking internal flights, especially on a Monday.
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.
The General Guideline for How Early You Should Get to the Airport. 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.
By almost all metrics, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is pretty much the worst day of the year to fly. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, it was the busiest single day of the entire year in terms of U.S. passengers, based on TSA passenger data.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest day to fly internationally. Meanwhile, international flyers would be wise to leave on Wednesdays, which are the cheapest day to depart for an international trip. That said, there isn't a huge difference in price across the different days of the week.
Weekend vs weekdaysIt is worth doing some research into the airport you are flying from. However, Tuesday and Wednesday are often less busy. This is because you have to take more days off work to fly mid-week, which people are usually reluctant to do. Upgraded Points notes that these days are also often cheaper.
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.
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.
This includes time for security check and (in South Terminal) passage through/around the two levels of stores and restaurants air side. In the North Terminal, for example, it takes 15 minutes to walk to gates 101-113 from the departure lounge.