Welcome to Gatwick?
 

I flew into Gatwick earlier this evening. The aircraft parked on a remote stand, so we were bussed in. When we arrived at the terminal building, we got off and climbed up a set of steps.

What a horrible sight greeted us. Overflowing bins and rubbish everywhere. It was disgusting. If I was a first time visitor to the UK, I would have seriously wondered if I’d made the right decision to come. Sure, it was getting towards the end of the day and the mess may have built up, but most major airports do seem to have lots of cleaners that are continually on the go. Not so at Gatwick it would seem. Standards have unfortunately slipped somewhat.

Strange, as I've just been in-and out of LGW and it was an absolute pleasure.

First-time visitors are busy finding their way to the baggage reclaim and won't care. You can stop worrying.

Hello Sainstman Your observation not withstanding, is there a reason to post this generally rather than in the LGW thread?

I'm happy to leave this here if there is lots of discussion ... if

SOS, nope. Feel free to do what you will.

I’ll just add that I wasn’t the only one who made the observation.

One would have thought that eating and subsequent littering etc wouldn't be high in the priority list of arriving passengers, more so than getting through passport control and baggage reclaim. Otherwise the Airport would have a similar sized Retail Opportunity of food and Duty Free for arriving passengers

Don't give them ideas!

Duty-free on arrival actually makes more sense than duty-free in departures or in the aircraft. That way, the plane doesn't have to carry all that duty-free booze and fags in the overhead lockers. Keflavik had been doing it for decades, and I understand the biggest duty-free on arrival shop is in Oslo.

Duty-free on arrival isn't allowed in the EU. The UK has left the EU. Why not follow Iceland's and Norway's example? Just swap over the arrivals and departure terminals, so you don't have to run the gauntlet of all those shops when you're running for your plane. It would also mean fewer delayed flights, where the cause of the delay is the pax turning up for boarding late because they've been shopping in duty-free, and consequently having their luggage unloaded.

When you've landed, you have more time on your hands as you're less likely to be concerned about making your onward transport on time. And you won't be delaying a flight.

Something I forgot is that, although you're not supposed to open your duty-free in-flight, some people do. Then you get people excessively drunk on aeroplanes (of course being slightly drunk in F or C is acceptable) and planes diverting, people vomiting, and other nasties. This wouldn't happen with duty-free on arrival.

It amazes me they don't install those racks of tempting goodies alongside the queues for immigration (and close to the carousels) - supermarket style.

The Border Force would want a cut...................

Asturias 56
I think its called shrinkage in the trade ;)
Cheers
Mr Mac

I certainly don't have more time on my hands after I've landed ! I just want to get into my car and get home, as do 99% of all passengers.

Maybe I have a different perspective as during my working life I went through the red channel and said those fatal words 'I have goods on carnet', which meant opening every bag, and identifying part numbers and serial numbers. It wasn't a process to be rushed, if you tried to, all you'd get is Customs officials deciding to work to rule. Now I'm retired, I still take my time, if I get to baggage reclaim and my bag is the last still circling I may have wasted ten minutes, but I'll have had a wash and brush-up first and be feeling better for it, and there won't be as long a queue at the taxi rank. 'Don't worry, be happy' is my motto.

Yes - for a long time one of our family had paperwork that required us to "follow the red line" at US Immigration - we'd budget 2 hours after arrival to kerbside. As long as you knew, it was OK - and TBH the Immigration officers in the back room were a lot nicer than the ones out front.

You'd come out and find our bags piled up and a single customs officer watching them - they couldn't wait to clear us out of the door.

I worked at Gatwick last year and can confirm its a dirty, rat infested hovel. I was also reminded that the carpet at most of the arrival gates in the North Terminal is the same carpet that was there when i worked in the North Terminal some 30 + years ago.

I assume that if you are using a taxi, you live relatively local to the airport. Those of us with a two or more hour drive ahead of us prefer to get a move on, especially on a cold wet November night !

Taxis are for the other end of the flight, i.e., away from home. At the time I lived in Wantage, Oxon, which was a short commute up the M4 from LHR. I now, like you, live in Darkest Lincs, walking distance from an ECML station and a short drive to EMA. As I'm retired now I don't have to mess around with goods on carnet, so getting through the aeroport is relatively painless.

It maybe different now but the verge on the southbound A23 between the Horley roundabout and the M23 link slip road was like a council tip the last time that I drove along there.

Sadly, whenever I'm back in the UK I experience the same crap but not just Gatwick/Crawley area but on most roads.

Not enough money in the kitty I'm afraid - just look at the roads surfaces never mind the verges