Car Rental London Gatwick

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GATWICK AIRPORT (IATA: LGW, ICAO: EGKK)

The land on which Gatwick Airport lies was first developed in the late 1920’s, with the first approved commercial flights taking off from the site in 1933. The first terminal called “The Beehive” was then built in 1935. Acting as a secondary airport for the London area after the more popular London Heathrow, it is the second-largest international airport to service the London area. Originally, this airport was used predominantly for commercial flights to and from the USA due to restrictions implemented by the Bermuda II agreement, which was put in place to stop domination of the skies by any one country.  The last US carrier ended service from Gatwick on 30 March 2013.

Although technically this airport has two runways, only one is used making it the world’s busiest single-use runway. The northern runway can only be used when the main one is out of service for any reason. The airport is the hub for major airlines British Airways and Easyjet. Other large airlines operating from here are Thomson Airways, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, Aer Lingus, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Virgin Atlantic. Gatwick’s uniqueness amonst other London airports is its representative of all three main business models in aircraft: full service, no-frills and charter.

Located 2.7 nautical miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex and 29.5 miles south of Central London, this airport acts as a gateway to most southern parts of England.  With approximately 55 flights taking off or arriving per hour, it has two terminals to the north and south.  In 2014 38.1 million passengers passed through its doors.

If taking connecting flights between Heathrow and Gatwick you must allow 3-4 hours to get between the two airports which will allow for your travel between the two and to clear customs/check in.  Travelling on a Monday morning, Friday or Sunday afternoon/evening is particularly busy with traffic so allow as much time as humanly possible. By road, the two airports are approximately 40 miles apart connected by motorways however congestion is rife. There are currently no direct trains connecting the two airports and taxi’s must be taken from taxi ranks only.

Tourist Attractions London:

• The largest city parks are Hyde, Regent and Kensington
• London zoo is located at Regent Park also near to Madam Tussauds wax museum.
• The British Museum (human history museum and now a national library with 150million books)
• Located at Trafalgar square, the National Gallery is an art museum that opened in 1824 and to date is home to over 2000 works of art from the mid-13th century to present day.

The London Eye is the tallest viewing point from which to see the city of London. Even though it only opened in 1999, it has become one of London’s most popular attractions. Officially called the millennium wheel, it was built to mark the end of the last century.

Tips for Driving in London:

• Do your research on where you are going. London as with all major cities has a lot of traffic with everyone trying to get places as quick as possible. A well planned journey will prevent the undue added stress of being lost.
• To enter central London you will have to pay a congestion charge between Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm. This can be done online and costs approximately 10 GBP.
• There are several Park and Ride stations around London Burroughs. You can park your car there for the day and use the tube or bus to access central London.
• Drive on the left hand side and always use a seatbelt.