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Old 30th Apr 2020, 21:40
  #795 (permalink)  
pamann
 
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Originally Posted by LTNman
Gatwick is recognised as a proper London Airport while many still laugh at Luton and Stansted being London Airports even though from memory Gatwick is 28 miles from London while Luton is 32 miles and Stansted is I think 33 miles or is it 35 miles?

Not much in it but Gatwick is the first choice for many passengers as it is more premium than Stansted and Luton and for historic reasons for no other reason than they have always used it. Luton still has an image problem that it has had for 50 years and still can't shake. Stansted is Ryanair, which puts some people off. Some of the other airlines there will be temped to move south of the Thames.
Why would you pick an airport based on it being perceived as ‘more premium’? Gatwick for years now has been trying to shrug off its ‘bucket and spade’ image, but if it’s your closest airport you’re not going to let that be a factor in choosing which ticket to purchase. There’s a whole load of other factors that perhaps would.

I (like every other normal person) pick an airport based on how close it is to where I live, or where I am travelling from on the day. Secondly it comes down to the cost of the ticket also vs the cost of getting to said airport. I have travelled from every single London airport, it all boils down to cost where there’s a choice. Being perceived as a ‘Premium airport’ doesn’t even cross my mind.

The vast majority of people in London will be more interested in where they are going to as opposed to where they are flying from. In the past there’s been a choice of departure point LHR/LGW/STN/LTN etc. Going forward there might not be a choice other than go or don’t go.
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