London is one of those special cities in the world that take pride in having an exemplary transportation network. In fact, in 2013 alone, the city invested close to £7 billion on the improvements of the rail, bus, and metro systems, according to City Lab. Without delving into details, most of us already grasp the importance of an efficient public transport sector, because in hindsight, these are our vehicles to see and travel to the many places of interest within the city. On the other hand, we also can’t ignore the value of a famous London airport like Gatwick.
In a lot of ways, airports are like welcome mats. They greet travellers by helping them brush off the jitters and informing them that they’ve – literally and figuratively – “arrived.” Additionally, just like doormats, most of us have a tendency to go through the motion and just pass this chapter, which is understandable considering we’ll only be inside airports for an x number of minutes (maybe hours at worst). However, if we’re travelling to or from a prestigious landing field such as Gatwick, it’s imperative to know the ins and outs of it so we can begin and end our London trip on a high note.
Gatwick is one of the largest and most active landing fields in all of the UK. As a matter of fact, it’s Europe’s leading airport in terms of point-to-point flights, and has the world’s busiest single-use runway. With this, comes the problem of people congestion. Throughout the years, London Gatwick has devoted millions of pounds on the overall improvement of its facilities. And since passengers usually consist of a mixture of locals and business travellers, solo adventurers and touring families, the airport puts a premium on total convenience.
To start, management allotted £17 million in a multi-storey car park with more than 1,000 spaces. While Gatwick’s North Terminal has long stay and summer special, South Terminal has long stay and long stay plus parking provisions. Even online companies got in on the act and provided a boost to airline passengers. Parking4Less, a price comparison website based in the UK, highlights an award-winning short-stay car park feature that’s located between the North and South Terminals.
Inside, London Gatwick invested £50 million on state-of-the-art safety features and designs. In North Terminal, for instance, there’s a well-organized security search area to handle the ever-growing passenger traffic. Also, the airport hired the services of Sir Peter Blake to put touches of his contemporary art works inside both terminals as a way to give travellers a glimpse of all things great about the city.
There’s an enchanting vibe that comes out of from every corner of a city like London. An article on The Restless Worker even suggests the “Best London Walking Route,” which takes us from Tower Bridge around a seven-mile stretch to the Tower of London, all while taking in the sights and sounds of the city on foot. This instance is one of those times we, as travellers, tend to forget the distance covered and just live in the moment. Behind all this fascination, we still have to see the big picture and also consider an often-overlooked factor that involves long queues, crowded areas, and busy landing fields. This is why London is great; this is why the city is a cut above the rest.
*Please note this is an affiliate post. London Gatwick Airport is in fact my airport of choice when flying into London – plus the views (see first picture) are unreal.
