Notting Hill to Gatwick for 9:00am Virgina Atlantic flight
 

Yep, another airport question!

We should check in 3 hours in advance, which means we have to be at the airport by 6:00am.

How much time should we allow for getting from Notting Hill to Gatwick? Should we use the Express, a car company, or....?

Thank you

If it were me, I would stay at a nearby airport hotel the evening before. Otherwise you may be leaving your hotel about 4 or 4:30 a.m. to Victoria station to take the train to Gatwick. Have a good one. Halfpint

Fastest would be a taxi to Victoria station and then the Gatwick Express to Gatwick, departing at 05:30 and arriving at 06:00.

You could save money by taking a bus to Victoria and a Southern train to Gatwick, but you'll get more sleep if you do the taxi-GEX combo.

According to the Transport for London Journey Planner, bus #148 goes from Notting Hill Gate to Victoria in 14 minutes. A taxi should be a little faster.

At that time of the day (indeed for most of the day) the Southern Trains service is, at most, 5 minutes slower than the GEX.

The only reason to use the GEX is to avoid commuter traffic which doesn't apply in your case

Timetable for the 148 bus:
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/use...__00007823.pdf

According to www.nationalrail.co.uk, there are trains leaving Victoria for Gatwick on a weekday at 0500, 0502, 0515 and 0530.

You'd need to doublecheck the position on a weekend, in case of engineering works.

Why do you need to be at Gatwick so ridiculously early?

Virgin check in closes 60 mins before departure for transatlantic departures, and they joined the 20th century by offering online checkin some time ago.

For an 0900 flight, getting to Gatwick by 0730 leaves ample time to get through security. Getting there by 0600 is pointless.

If you really are determined to do all this years in advance, go to Gatwick the night before, check in by 2100, stay the night near the hotel, then walk to the flight at your leisure the following morning.

Thank you for all your replies.

We will check in online.

This is the first time we are flying Virgin. The ticketing agent told me 3 hours prior. Just read the (very)fine print on my ticket: Check in is 2.5 hours prior to departure and they close the check in facilities and bag drop desks 60 minutes before the flight is to scheduled to take off.

I am more concerned about the length of time it takes to get from Notting Hill to the airport.