Which airport is better - Heathrow or Gatewick

We are booked on RCC Indy of the Seas in Sept. We have not booked our flight yet and wondering which airport would be better to fly into from the USA. We have heard some bad things about Heathrow, but have never been thru this airport ourselves. Thanks!

We have flown through both Heathrow and Gatwick - and in spite of all the bad "hype" that Heathrow gets, prefer it to Gatwick. Of course, it is larger and therefore busier and you may need to change terminals which might be a factor to consider. We thought Gatwick was not as well set up and was also much further from the city area (and longer on the express train).

We use both airports quite a bit and find little between them. The Media hype gets a bit out of hand at times and Heathrow now (T5) has settled down and seems to be functioning well. Both are major airports and can be very busy most of the year but as airports go, you shouldnt have any problems with either.

If your ship is leaving from Southampton, both airports have good access to this port. If you are leaving from Dover, I would suggest Gatwick.

Jimmy

I agree there isn't really much to choose between them. For arriving passengers there's not really a lot of difference, other then the fact that one of them will be slightly futher away from where you want to be!

Heathrow is much nicer for departing passengers, but when things go wrong for any reason [weather, stikes etc] the place tends to grind to halt very quickly.

We use both airports.

For flights arriving from the USA either one is fine as long as your final destination is one of them.

For returning flights I do prefer Gatwick over Heathrow.

Keith

We have not booked our flight yet and wondering which airport would be better to fly into from the USA. We have heard some bad things about Heathrow, but have never been thru this airport ourselves.

Personally, I use Heathrow far more than any other airport, and I've never found it to be any worse than mediocre when it was at its worst. It is generally better than that now. In particular, Heathrow Terminal 5 is now working very well. There were no real glitches over Christmas, which is a very busy and stressful time for Heathrow generally. Baggage performance there is very good, both for direct baggage and T5-T5 connecting baggage.

As others have said the Heathrow stories were blown out of proportion by the media. Terminal 5 at Heathrow that was the object of much of the adverse coverage a year ago is probably for most people the best terminal of them all at Heathrow or Gatwick to use.

A lot can depend on which airlines/terminals you use. If you are planning on using public transport, Southampton to Gatwick has direct trains to the passenger terminal complex, whilst Heathrow has a bus service with luggage restrictions and you have an awkward transfer from the bus station if you are using Terminal 4.

If you are planning on hiring a private car for the transfer, Heathrow is the quickest and should be cheaper than a Gatwick transfer.

Just to add my two penny worth ... I would go out of my way now to use T5 at Heathrow, in my experience it is now running like clockwork.

Where are you flying in from?

Where are you sailing from on your cruise?

Are you planning a stay in London pre or post cruise?

Please help - we will be spending one night in London after our cruise and wish to stay at a hotel that will provide the easiest way to get to the airport (Heathrow). We will be flying American Airlines to Miami, FL. I have been reading reviews on Trip Advisor, but I can't really seem to find the info I want. We would like to get up in the morning and get to check in (I beleive AA is in terminal 3). Any suggestions much appreciated.

We've used both, but prefer Heathrow because of the flights that I like to book from/to the US.

If I was booking my flights I would base it on the flights and times that I would prefer rather than the UK airport.

I had an overnight layover at LHR in June; & did a lot of research on this. I ended up at the Premier Inn about 1-2 miles away. Hotel was a nice midrise; about 15 mins. by cab. I know the HO/HO bus stops there; but I had too much luggage for that to be an option for me. I arranged at the front desk for a taxi p/u at 6:30 am the next morning. I booked through Travelocity; & you can book directly w/ premier inn's website. Good luck & happy travels.

http://www.premierinn.com/pti/hotelInformation.do?hotelId=24093

We would like to get up in the morning and get to check in (I beleive AA is in terminal 3).

1. Northside/off-airport hotels - there is basically a strip of hotels that lines the northern boundary of the airport. From there to the CTA, you need to get the Hotel Hoppa bus, which goes to the terminals, at a cost - or a taxi. You can get free transport between the central bus station in the CTA and points on the airport boundary, but these are normal local commuter buses and not really suitable for people with heavy luggage.

2. The Jurys Inn pretty much next door to Hatton Cross station, which allows you to go by Tube (fare payable) from Hatton Cross Tube to Heathrow T123 Tube, from which it's an easy underground walk to T3.

3. The Terminal 4 hotels, ie the Hilton (attached to T4) and the Yotel (inside T4), from which you get the Heathrow Connect train to transfer to Heathrow Central (free) and then walk to T3.

4. The Sofitel attached to Terminal 5, with a similar train connection by Heathrow Express.

There are also about 3 Holidays Inns all within a few minutes of the airport. We booked into the Junction 4 and a room with breakfast cost about GBP 45 / 55.

There is a "hopper bus" service which goes between the hotels and the airport and cost GBP 4 per person, one way. It was a fairly miserable bus and seemed to take ages and if I was doing it again I would get a cab.

When we are flying out from T5 in March we are staying at the Sofitel, primarly because a) we want to go into central london for dinner the night before and we can get the tub back b) it's an early flight and we just want to walk to the terminal first thing. Had it not been for this we would just stay at the holiday inn again and cab it.

When looking I did find rooms for £29 at a nearby Travelodge - worth a look.

We overnighted at the Marriott one-half mile from Heathrow last year and the taxis woudn't take us the one-half mile. We used the shuttle which was okay, but the next morning when we qued up for the shuttle it was a "zoo". I had to lift one of our bags on and off the shuttle and I ended up with a torn rotator cuff. Soooooo, after four months of physical therapy, we are now overnighting at the Sofitel in Terminal 5 when we come in from Copenhagen in June. They said that it is 15 feet from the baggage claim areas to the elevator to the lobby of the Sofitel. The next morning, we will take our time to get to terminal 3 for our airplane back to LAX.

Sheila

We are booked on RCC Indy of the Seas in Sept. We have not booked our flight yet and wondering which airport would be better to fly into from the USA. We have heard some bad things about Heathrow, but have never been thru this airport ourselves. Thanks!

The earlier posters have summarized well the various pro/con factors for each. Both are very, very large airports. Both have their bland and boring aspects to some of their facilities. Now that Terminal 5 is working well, it is a very nice and new facility to see and use. For Dover cruise departures, Gatwick is closer. Here's the big PLUS with Heathrow that has not been mentioned. If you are flying back to the United States, many airlines might only have one flight a day going back out of Gatwick. If you miss that one or more limited number of flights, then there are less options for your return. At Heathrow, there are more flights out of there and this adds flexibility if you are delayed.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If anyone is looking for a cheap hotel at Heathrow with no nasty surprises, the Ibis is doing rooms now for about 36-40 GBP and the two Travelodges (both brand new, the oldest just over a year old) between 19 and 49 GBP.

Please help - we will be spending one night in London after our cruise and wish to stay at a hotel that will provide the easiest way to get to the airport (Heathrow). We will be flying American Airlines to Miami, FL. I have been reading reviews on Trip Advisor, but I can't really seem to find the info I want. We would like to get up in the morning and get to check in (I beleive AA is in terminal 3). Any suggestions much appreciated.

If you only want basic, ie just a place to sleep, then try the new Travelodge at Heathrow Central which is very close to T1,2, and 3. We stayed there in January, when we had an AA flight, for £19 per room - I believe you can still get some really good deals with Travelodge. It was brand new (opened at Christmas 2008) and perfectly fine and they have a small bistro/bar where you can get a meal and a drink. If you want a better standard of hotel then there are all the usual chain hotels but we can recommend the Crowne Plaza. Would not really recommend the Holiday Inn (Ariel Hotel) as their rooms are tiny but their prices are not:mad: Hoppa buses service all the hotels for £4 per person.

Thanks.

One.

We are flying in from US on Delta a few days before cruise. We are considering heading on out to Harwich and not staying in central London. Thinking of taking train to Harwich. Heathrow our best option? Any advise on airport and train is greatly appreciated.

If I am flying from Orlando Florida to a cruise port Southhampton, is it truly better to fly into gatewick/heathrow/southhampton - looking for easiest time to get from airport to port.

If I am flying from Orlando Florida to a cruise port Southhampton, is it truly better to fly into gatewick/heathrow/southhampton - looking for easiest time to get from airport to port.

In terms of ease to get to Southampton; your choices are;

#1) SOU/Southampton Airport. 7m train ride to Southampton Central, But it's a small airport, and only serves European cities.

#2) LGW/London Gatwick. 2hr train ride to Southampton Central station.

#3) LHR/London Heathrow. 2+hr bus ride to Southampton Bus terminal, or 40 minute bus & 1h20 train via Woking train station

#4) BHX/Birmingham Intl Airport. 2h20m train ride to Southampton Central.

1,2 & 4 have main line train stations at the airport with direct rail service to Southampton, Heathrow being the notable exception.

In terms of ease to get to Southampton; your choices are;

 

#1) SOU/Southampton Airport. 7m train ride to Southampton Central, But it's a small airport, and only serves European cities.

#2) LGW/London Gatwick. 2hr train ride to Southampton Central station.

#3) LHR/London Heathrow. 2+hr bus ride to Southampton Bus terminal, or 40 minute bus & 1h20 train via Woking train station

#4) BHX/Birmingham Intl Airport. 2h20m train ride to Southampton Central.

 

1,2 & 4 have main line train stations at the airport with direct rail service to Southampton, Heathrow being the notable exception.

Thank you for answering in both threads for me! I appreciate your time!

which terminal at LHR for Delta, flying from Cincinniati, Ohio thanks