Gatwick - New Gates - Please Be Careful!

[bealine]

The New Bridge and Gates at Gatwick's North Terminal will soon echo to the patter of passengers' feet. We are currently embarking on tours of the new facilities and finding the bridge awesome!!! (If you are fortunate to have your flight board from the new gates, don't forget your camera as the views from the bridge, with ceiling to floor glass (angled outwards) are outstanding for aircraft photo calls!)

On a serious note however, the gates are a powerful long way from the Departures Lounge and the airline lounges so allow plenty of time to reach the gate. It is also a good idea to restrict your cabin baggage to items you would be happy to take on a three mile walk!!!

The escalators are, allegedly, the steepest in Europe (very similar to Leicester Square Tube Station) and have plenty of accident potential. PLEASE do not attempt to barge past people or to run, and please discourage others from doing so - the Bethnal Green underground disaster would be all too easy to recreate!

[PAXboy]

Thanks for the warning bealine, it's good to know that the architects have managed to squueze more into less by angling the steps at such a fantastic angle. BAA must be very pleased. :hmm:

There is a building I have to use for one area of my work, they have just opened a brand new facility and the mistakes by the architect and builders are breathtaking. e.g. the building was five months late opening and yet the main doors for public access scrape the ground and do not always stay open on their detent. If you cannot even get the doors right??? OK, I'll deslect Rant mode now. :ooh:

[Paul Wilson]

I thought I would give Gatwick a try again after 3 years of avoiding it, but the extra costs of local departures for holiday flights made it too tempting. Alas, 1 hr+ from touchdown to baggage belts running, 3 immigration people for a couple of hundered EU passengers (and no you can't use the empty queue for non-EU passengers) and the general griminess on the return journey mean I will not be visiting again.

Strange that, lovely shiney shopping on the way out, horrid on the way back, no where to sit and not allowed to smoke anywhere. Needless to say if they are going to hold me in an area where I can't spark up, because they can't be bothered to get the baggage off in a decent time, I'll spark up anyway:hmm:

Rant off, and thanks for the advice bealine - and I'm sure i wouldn't be kept waiting for baggage from your fine airline!

[amanoffewwords]

with ceiling to floor glass

Great if, like me, you suffer from vertigo! :( :rolleyes: :{

[wub]

http://www.pbase.com/glenns/image/34618660.jpg