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Airport :The Top 3 Airports in London

The Top 3 Airports in London: Everything You Need to Know

Heathrow

Heathrow (LHR), the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and one of the most well-known aviation hubs in the world, is situated 14 miles west of the heart of London. If you are flying a full-service airline from far away to London, you will probably land here. Many foreign airlines only fly to London’s Heathrow.

During normal times, 80 million people go through the airport’s four active terminals (2 through 5). Terminal 1 has been closed down.

Following is a breakdown of the terminals:

Terminal 2 has most Star Alliance airlines and Aer Lingus. Terminal 3 has most Oneworld airlines, including some British Airways flights, Virgin Atlantic, Delta, and Emirates. The Terminal 4 has most SkyTeam airlines and non-aligned Middle Eastern and Central Asian airlines like Etihad and Qatar. Terminal 5 has most British Airways flights and Iberia. American Airlines has moved from T3 to T5 and may stay there for good.

Check the Heathrow website to find out which terminal any other airline that isn’t on this list uses.

Heathrow’s biggest airline by far is British Airways. Most of its flights leave from this airport. Virgin Atlantic also does a lot of business at Heathrow.

As a “full-service” airport, you can expect modern shops, restaurants, and duty-free shops. Terminals 2 and 5 are both very new and up-to-date. There are also dozens of nice airport lounges run by different airlines and independent lounges that anyone with a paid membership or Priority Pass can enter. With as many people as Heathrow handles every day, outbound security is usually very quick. However, if you can’t use the eGates, you may have to wait a long time for immigration at Heathrow.

Route:

In 15 minutes, the Heathrow Express will take you straight to Paddington, which is in the middle of London. The Piccadilly line of the Tube is a cheaper, slower way to get into the city. The Tube stops at Terminals 2/3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Don’t skip the right stop if you don’t want to waste time switching stations.

Getting to the city center by bus or taxi will take about an hour, depending on where you are going.

Because it is west of the city, Heathrow is very convenient for people who live or stay there. Many international travelers don’t like Heathrow, especially because getting from one terminal to another is hard and not very exciting. Even though it takes a long time to get to Heathrow from the west, I think it works quite well and is very modern once you get there. Terminal 2 is my favorite.

Gatwick

Long thought of as London’s second airport, Gatwick now serves full-service airlines like Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, and China Airlines and low-cost airlines that can handle slightly higher landing fees than Stansted and Luton.

From the heart of London, it is 24 miles south.

Before COVID-19, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flew some long-distance flights from Gatwick. These flights mostly went to high-end vacation spots like Florida and the Caribbean. Gatwick is also where Norwegian’s London operations are based, and they usually offer short- and long-haul flights. From Gatwick, travel companies like TUI fly to places in southern Europe with “summer sun,” also known as warm weather.

Since there aren’t many slots at Heathrow, some airlines use Gatwick to run extra flights to London when they can’t do so at Heathrow. Airlines like Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific have run this service between Heathrow and Gatwick.

Gatwick Airport has a lot of flights to short-haul tourist spots. The airport is EasyJet’s biggest base in the UK.

Free shuttles run between the airport’s North and South terminals. British Airways, Norwegian, TUI, and Vueling are some of the biggest airlines in the South Terminal. In the North Terminal, EasyJet, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet are all big airlines.

Route:

In under 30 minutes, you can take the Gatwick Express to Victoria station in the center of London. Remember that the National Rail service takes about five minutes longer, but it’s cheaper if you’re not in a hurry. Depending on traffic, a bus or taxi will take between 80 and 90 minutes to get you to your destination in the city.

Gatwick is a good choice for an airport if you are staying south of the Thames. Gatwick can get very crowded in the summer because it serves so many vacation spots, and many people have to go through bottlenecks. Both terminals have several amenities, but my favorite is Gatwick’s new British Airways lounge. Some of the farthest gates can also be a long walk from security.

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Stansted

The main hub of European airline giant Ryanair is at Stansted Mountfitchet, which is 42 miles to the northeast of the city. Ryanair has nonstop flights to more than 100 destinations from Stansted alone, including popular cities like Barcelona (BCN), Lisbon (LIS), and Prague (PRG) and less well-known cities like Kalamata (KLX), (TRS), (WRO), (LRH).

Stansted is a low-cost airport with only the most basic services. There is only one lounge at the airport, called the Escape Lounge. This is because there aren’t many full-service airlines that use the airport, though Emirates does fly to Dubai (DXB). All flights leave from the same building, but some gates are far away and will take a long walk to get to.

Jet2 has also grown a lot at Stansted. It flies to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, and Italy for vacations.

Route:

Since there is no Tube service from Stansted, you must take the expensive Stansted Express to get to Central London. It takes about 50 minutes to get to Liverpool Street. Depending on where you’re going and how busy the road is, a bus or taxi ride will take between 60 and 70 minutes.

If you live north of the city, Stansted can be a good airport. Most people are willing to take a long trip to the airport if they can get a cheap ticket on a low-cost airline.

Ryanair has given me flights to and from Stansted for as little as $13 each, which is crazy cheap. I’ll admit that the airport isn’t a great place to be. I suggest giving yourself enough time to get to your gate, as some are at least 20 minutes away from security

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