How much time should I allow for check in at Gatwick for a 10:30 AM departure on Continental on a Saturday morning?

Thanks.

2 hours minimum, safer to allow 2.5

I got to Gatwick 1 1/2 hours before my flight to Detroit in November and that was really pushing it. There are two security screening checks - one after you check your bags and head toward the tram to the gates and another at the boarding gate pier, after you disembark the tram.

Thanks!

Appreciate the info.

You really need to check w/ your airline. Some will deny boarding if you are not there by there required check in time . . . .

bubba,

Seriously listen to these people....

We were in London in october and made some major mistakes on departure day.

We thought our flight left at 12:55 and had planned on leaving the hotel around 9:15. departure morning we planned on taking a taxi (too much shopping) to victoria station and then use our gatwick express return tickets. we figured 1:15 to get to airport from hotel and then approx 2.5 for checkin.

well, we ended up having a problem with our hotel bill and it was almost 10:00 or so before we got out of the hotel into a taxi. we got to victoria station by 10:15 and onto gatwick express, only to have them hold departure for about 15 minutes. it was 10:30 before they left. in the middle of all this we both checked our airline tickets and realized that we had both remembered the wrong departure time. the actual departure time was 12:05. we thought, okay if we get there by 11:00 we still have an hour and its the same terminal so we will be okay....not! about 20 minutes into the gatwick express trip...they stopped the train and held it for 20 minutes. we ended up not arriving until about 11:15 and just about killed ourselves getting thru.

remember, if it is an international flight to the states, it will be full and many people will be trying to check in at the same time (at least 200 or more for your flight alone).

we got to check in and they were actually doing check in for the next flight. we were told to hit the express security...which really didn't help much, but we made it to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare. they were in the middle of boarding the plane. we weve lucky...just damn lucky.

moral of this story:

**if you have a morning/noon departure, the night before have your hotel print out a copy of the bill and make sure there are no problems. I would settle up that night before and that way all you have to do is turn in keys and say goodbye.

**if you have a 10:30am departure, you need to arrive at gatwick by 8am-8:30. this means you need to allow enough time for your hotel-airport transfer or travel to get you there. (gatwick express takes 45 minutes to 1 hour but only leaves at certain times from victoria station.) depending on your method of transportation...you will need to leave as early as 6:00 from your hotel. that early I would wait for breakfast after check in.

hope this helps.

Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes. Obviously if there is a problem it may take more, but it is scheduled for 30 minutes. I used it about 20 times in the last couple of years and it never took more than that.

Gatwick Express offers dedicated, high-speed travel between Central London and Gatwick Airport. With a journey time of just 30 minutes from London Victoria to Gatwick (35 minutes on Sundays), there is no faster way between the heart of the city and the airport.

I really appreciate the advice.

Sounds like Gatwick Express is the way to go.