GATWICK

[Seljuk22]

Tourism/shopping. Flights are Friday and Monday with launch at the end of Novemebr (start of the christmas shopping time) so Germans/Britains can spend a weekend abroad.

Seems like ST is quite confident with the route as we will see it in the summer as well.

[racedo]

Seems like Gatwick owners are offering shopping vouchers to people who had issues in Gatwick with flights cancelled on Christmas Eve.

[CabinCrewe]

...to be spent only in LGW duty free now doubt !!

[CabinCrewe]

Im sure Britannia used to operate to Erfurt in the 1980's

[dmkc]

quoted as 'High Street Vouchers' so presuming use out with LGW

£100 per pax which I suppose is something...

[True Blue]

So at 35.433m pax for 2013, is this the highest number for passengers ever achieved by Gatwick?

[ericlday]

According to your best friend Google - yes

[bunatern]

Flynas reportedly looking at april 2014 launch for its long haul flights to LGW and MAN aswell as CDG with A330s.

[wallp]

Is there much of a market for flights from Gatwick to Saudia Arabia?

[davidjohnson6]

EU citizens wanting to visit Saudi Arabia need a visa.
While tourist visas technically exist, they are extremely difficult to obtain - makes applying for a Russian visa quite routine in comparison.

Those travelling from the EU for work tend to have an employer who will pay the higher price for a traditional network / legacy airline.

[Capetonian]

I am a little intrigued at something I noticed the other day at North Terminal. It may be that I've simply not noticed this before as I normally go directly to airside without hanging around landside.

I took the Mrs. to the airport for an 1800 flight and as we arrived very early, and she was already checked in and had no hold luggage, we sat and had a cup of tea. All flights showed on the departures board as 'check in at area ..whatever'. I was expecting that at some point they would change to 'Go to Gate XX' but none did and at about 1720 I thought she should go through although it still showed 'check in'.

My question is, do they only show the gates on the airside departure boards, and if so, why?

[Skipness One Echo]

Yes gates are only shown airside.
Also be thankful you didn't try landside at the South Terminal, where unique amongst modern airports, there are no Flight Information screens landside save for one hidden in a coffee shop on the first floor. The shiny new screens direct you to check in with big friendly airline logos then you are, presumably left with no option but to head for the shopping.

Unless they're hidden, but the one in Costa is now the only one I can ever find.
What did you think of the many, many buckets to catch the rain water?

[racedo]

Unless they're hidden, but the one in Costa is now the only one I can ever find.
What did you think of the many, many buckets to catch the rain water?

Mate works there and while annoyed at the buckets he says given the phenomenal amount of rain its not a shock.
He says that cycling through a river sounds fun the first time but he has done it least 6 times since before Christmas and expects a few more times, he says car park beside South Terminal is pretty much permanently coned off at moment because its flooded so many times.
Can't fault the airport as many places are finding the sheer amount of rain is making seemingly waterproof roofs losing the proof bit.

[Fairdealfrank]

My question is, do they only show the gates on the airside departure boards, and if so, why?

Yes, would say it's to encourage pax to clear security and visit the shops in the sterile area for longer. The gates are not displayed on boards in the sterile area immediately, there's usually a "gate opens at xx:xx" display to encourage pax (punters?) to stay in the sterile area longer and visit the shops.

Suspect airport management would say it's to even the flow and avoid crowding at pinch points.

You pay your money (literally) and take your choice.

It's not just at LGW.

[LadyL2013]

Your first paragraph is exactly what it is. They by obligation should have one before departures so they stick it somewhere quite out of the way. Also notice how in recent years there are less and less shops and eateries before security? Same thing. If pasengers spend longer in the departure lounge, they buy more stuff.

Obviously not going to reveal my source but I would say they were an extremely reliable one.

[racedo]

Also notice how in recent years there are less and less shops and eateries before security? Same thing. If pasengers spend longer in the departure lounge, they buy more stuff.

Er no

The whole point of removal of retail units pre security had to do with a realisation that a significant % of the trade in these stores were people who had no flights.
Adding people whose destination was the airport solely for shopping was seen as counter productive in they used up car parking spaces and generally made terminals busier than they needed to be.
Retailers found the business marginal hence why there was a significant turnover of retailers.
Elimination of this business allowed a significant increase in the space available for security control which caters to the people who really need to use the airport.

[Skipness One Echo]

There was actually a mall called The Gatwick Village.

It was handy, but it died out when passenger baggage became a real at security. There's more screening so there was a drive to reduce the amount f baggage presented.
Our major airports are behaving in a way contrary to our struggling regionals who really ought to be doing exactly that, increase land-side footfall by any means necessary.

[macuser]

I think The Gatwick Village was situated where security is now placed at Gatwick South.

[RexBanner]

Is there any upgrade work scheduled to be done to the North Terminal at all? Travelling through the South Terminal is (in my humble opinion) a real pleasure nowadays, there's an open bright and airy feel to it. The North Terminal really suffers by comparison (although still a million miles in advance of Luton admittedly). Apologies if this has already been asked.

[racedo]

I think The Gatwick Village was situated where security is now placed at Gatwick South.

Correct it was and over the years going into Gatwick I can say that the retail units never really struggled with crush of customers into the shops.