Transit At Gatwick

[KARL]

Does anyone know if someone arriving with hand baggage only at Gatwick at around 2100 one evening can stay airside and then board his/her flight the following morning at around 0600 - a period of less than 8 hours actually free of obligation to be at the gate, walking there, etc. ? We are talking about not passing through immigration. The incoming flight is at South Terminal, the outgoing at North Terminal.

[Prudie]

Well the terminals are a shuttle ride apart for starters so I don't see how you can do that, you'd have to come outside. Plus when you get off there's nothing there apart from lugage carousels etc, no food or seating I don't think until you are out of customs..

[Buenchico]

See here:
http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/flying-in/connecting-at-gatwick/

[Jennykenny]

Have a look at sleeping airports.com
You should be able to spent the night at either terminal.

[Buenchico]

^^^ That URL seems not to exists, JK.

Did you mean this one?
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

[Jennykenny]

Yes, sorry.

[KARL]

I found an e-mail address for Gatwick and placed a question. According to the reply, it turns out that, like any small-ish airport, Gatwick's airside is closed overnight and everyone is herded/chased out - they graciously permit public/passenger presence at groundside through the night.

[Buenchico]

'Small-ish'?

It's the second busiest airport in the UK (and the 9th busiest in the whole of Europe), handling over 40 million passengers per year and with the busiest single runway in the world!

[KARL]

Chris, I didn't say it IS small-ish but that it is LIKE one - indeed, many would expect Gatwick to at least equal airports serving a few hundred thousand population plus tourists and transits. Are you impressed ? The passenger concerned is not, and I should not be and am not surprised, the UK is continually embarrassingly backward.