Airport Facilities at Gatwick
There are rules, normally suggested by airlines about how early you need to arrive at an airport. The Holiday Supermarket says “the rule of thumb is to be at the airport at least two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul departure” although it is always best to check with your own airline.
This time is to ensure travellers have time to drop off their bags, go through security and get to their gate including all the documentation checks. Surprisingly with all that admin, airport lounge company Airport Dimensions published the findings from its report, Airport Experience Research – The Transforming Airport Revenue Landscape, which revealed that 71% of passengers enjoyed their time at the airport.
So what can you do? In this post we look at some of the obvious and less obvious activities which passengers can enjoy at Gatwick airport.
Most obviously the top three things you can do at the airport are eat, drink and shop
Gatwick Eating and drinking
There are 28 different eating outlets available to passengers at Gatwick. From Costa to Nando's, there is something for everyone at every time of day from an early breakfast through to a late dinner. It is also possible to grab sandwiches, snacks and meal deals from shops such as Boots and WH Smith.
Gatwick shopping
For retail there are 34 shops at Gatwick ranging from Accessorize to World Duty Free offering everything from electricals to wellbeing products.
Stansted Eating and drinking
This airport has 17 restaurants, cafes and sandwich shops ranging from the casual Burger King through to the more upmarket Terracotta Italian Kitchen.
Stansted Shopping
Shops-wise, Stansted has 20 retail outlets including brands as diverse as JS Sports and Mulberry.
Although we might expect to wile away a few hours over a drink and a bite to eat or reading through a few chapters of the latest bestselling book, there are other options which might appeal as well.
Gatwick Business lounges
Lounges provide a space to concentrate on work matters, often with specific facilities such as copy machines, Wi-Fi , meeting rooms alongside complimentary food drink. Access to some lounges is free with your airline ticket and for others you can pay for entry. There are twelve lounges across both terminals at Gatwick.
North Terminal
Plaza Premium Lounge Gatwick North
No1 Lounge Gatwick North
Clubrooms Gatwick North
The Gateway by Easyjet & No1 Lounges at Gatwick North
Flight Lounge
Emirates Lounge at Gatwick North
South Terminal
Club Aspire Lounge Gatwick South
No1 Lounge Gatwick South
Clubrooms Gatwick South
My Lounge Gatwick South
British Airways Club Lounge at Gatwick South
British Airways First Lounge at Gatwick South
Gatwick Prayer Room
If you would like a place to pray, meditate or even just have a moment of reflection, the Gatwick chapel and prayer rooms are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and located in both the North and South Terminals. These facilities are multi-faith, so they are available to people of all faiths for private prayer and meditation.
Gatwick freshen up
YOTELAIR London Gatwick has availability for shower cabins (with toilet) to be used for up to 30 minutes for £20 (per usage/per person) however these cannot be pre-booked as they can only be booked upon arrival and are subject to availability. Note that you need to bring your own towel and shower gel/shampoo.
A spa experience at Gatwick Aiport
You can even indulge in a spa at the airport. Aerospa is the largest airport spa company in the UK with spas at many UK airports including both terminals at Gatwick. They offer outstanding quality treatments and products from an experienced team of professionals including:
Massage - deep tissue – relaxation, Indian head & bamboo
Hydrating and lymphatic draining facials
Manicures, pedicures, gel polish & ‘builder in a bottle’ gel
Threading
Gatwick Gym facilities
There are gyms at both the Hilton and Sofitel hotels at Gatwick Airport, offering state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Hilton’s fitness centre is described as “It is okay for a basic workout, and you will find several multi-functional machines and a variety of dumbbells, although most hotels have a focus on cardio equipment. It keeps your muscles activated.” Whilst the gym at Sofitel is reviewed as “This hotel provides the simple equipment in a small room. You might find it a challenge to do a full body workout, but it’s good enough to keep you moving.”
We hope you enjoyed discovering the range of activities on offer at Gatwick airport, we will be posting a similar blog about Stansted airport in the next few weeks.
By Stephen Forster at 26 Jul 2024