Gatwick Plane to train time

[Rwy in Sight]

I want to book a train ticket on Southwest train from Gatwick to London. As I have to book a specific service, I would need to know how long will take from a European flight through custom control to the train platform. The flight arrives on a Saturday morning.

Any help will be appreciated as I don't want to waste too much time in a train platform in Gatwick.

Rwy in Sight

[NWSRG]

Can't comment on the immigration time, but from the South Terminal to the platforms is no more than ten minutes. If you're coming into the North Terminal, you'll need to allow a bit more time...the shuttle transfer will probably take you another ten to fifteen minutes, but it does bring you into South Terminal adjacent to the station entrance.

Coming into South Terminal on a domestic, it can take a good twenty minutes to get to baggage reclaim, depending on what gate you come into...

Hope that helps.

If you're heading into London, I presume you're going into London Bridge or Victoria (on the Express). In either case, I don't think the ticket is train specific, and they do run very regularly.

[Tableview]

I do this frequently. It's hard to answer.

Passport control can take anything from 3 to 30 minutes.
Do you have checked baggage? A reasonable average waiting time is 15 minutes, but variable.
The train station is at South Terminal. If you arrive at North you need to allow 10 minutes for the transit.
When you get to the train station, you will need to print your pre-booked ticket at one of the self service machines. They have recently installed a new bank of about 10, but on Wednesday night when I used them they were very busy. The queue at the counter is usually even longer.

I would say an hour, to be safe, from touchdown. You may well do it in less but if everything is against you then you will need an hour.

Why do you have to book a specific service? The 'turn up and go' fare on Southern is £13.20 and on Gatwick Express, only a few minutes faster, is about £19.

[edi_local]

It won't be necessary to book any train to or from Gatwick Airport. They are very regular, up to every 10 minutes or so, often even more than that. You can take a First Capital Connect (Purple trains) or Southern (Green and white Southern Trains or Red and blue Gatwick Express). FCC will take you to London Bridge and on to St Pancras and is slower, Southern will take you to Clapham Junction and then Victoria. I have never bought and advance ticket for either, just ask for the cheapest ticket to London on the machine or in person.

The Express train will be the most expensive, by far, but it's not really worth it. The average non-stop Express Journey time to Victoria is 30 minutes, a Southern service stopping at most stops between Gatwick and the city will take around 45 minutes and is likely to be the cheapest option. A non-stop journey to London Bridge with FCC is only around 30 minutes.

[Rwy in Sight]

Thanks for your answers. It seems I am arriving at the South Terminal so one less thing to spend time. If I book on a specific Southern service I can get it as low as 7.50 GBP although around 10.50 is more probable.

Thanks again.

Rwy in Sight

[jimd-f]

southern do similar deals to and from gatwick, but the conditions are that they are for a specific train only. if you do not get that train then you have to pay full fare.
while i am alll for money saving, you are relying on the fact the plane will arrive at a specific time, border control are working properly, you have no hold luggage to wait for, and you can get to the platform at the right time. if your plane is early or late you either have a long wait or have to pay again.
this is one time that i think you are better just getting a normal return fare or paying the fare when you arrive at the station.

[manx crab]

I have found the best ticket to get on a Saturday is a Gatwick day return with an all zones travel card included and just don't use the return portion.
Depending on the offers available it is usually valid on either First Capital or Southern Trains only ( FCC is usually cheapest) but that is only for the section between Gatwick and East Croydon where the London travel zone starts.
Its not train specific so if you are delayed at the airport you just get the next train from that operator.
I have got these tickets for under £10 but I think that they are about £13-14 at the moment.

[Mr @ Spotty M]

What happens if your flight is delayed?
My guess is you loose your money!!
Only a thought.:ok:

[Tableview]

I would have thought that peace of mind is worth more than the few pounds that might be saved by pre-paying for the ticket. One of the things that makes travel so stressful is having to constantly rush and watch the clock.

I invariably arrange things so that when I get to an airport/station I have time to watch people, buy a newspaper, get a cup of tea and a piece of cake, and walk leisurely to my train or 'plane. The pleasure I derive far outweighs the possible extra cost.

[Rwy in Sight]

I followed manx crab's advice and I bought a day return without booking a specific seat. Actually I share Tableview with taking my time to walk through the airport towards the plane or the public transport to the city - in my home airport I avoided buying any items. It is just the fact that I need to arrive in time for the Bash. Last time I flew to Gatwick I had bought tickets to Gatwick Express and I didn't care to run to the train - let alone I was the only one to have the code on my mobile while the others of the group had to issue-print paper tickets.

[25F]

You can also buy tickets in the "travel centre" i.e. office. This can sometimes be a lot quicker than getting in a queue outside!

[Ramper1]

If you're flying with Easyjet, don't assume you will land at the terminal you are supposed to. They operate out of both terminals and you may end up in the north depending on where the aircraft i s going next. If it is the wrong terminal, you will disembark there and collect your bags in that terminal, and then take the ground transportation provided to get to where you need to be.

[Hotel Tango]

Sorry but I just can't grasp why you want to go through all that stress for just a few quid. The chances are that you'll end up paying much more if something goes t!ts up with your flight schedule. I personally practice Tableview's way of doing things. Keep it simple and relax.