The OPZ Bonus - Gatwick Airport

I said I wouldn't do this, but I've since changed my mind because why not. This is a blogpost about Gatwick Airport - the only place in Sussex accessible by Oyster - and I regret it.

Gatwick Airport Station

Unlike many stations, it's almost a guarantee that if someone gets off at Gatwick Airport station, they're not hanging around. Sure, there will be exceptions - what if someone wants to switch to GWR services, or the passenger in question merely wants a stopping service instead of a semi-express route? But more often than not, those who get off here are looking for a different mode of transportation.

     

Gatwick, in Old English meaning "goat farm", was originally a manor, first recorded in 1241, but by the 19th century, the manor owners sold the land to the Gatwick Race Course Company, who promptly built a racecourse here; during World War 1, this was even the site of the Grand National.

The area, however, soon became dominated for travel purposes. First came the railways in 1891, when Gatwick Racecourse station opened. Come the 1930s, aviation started to blossom in Gatwick - a public aerodrome opened in 1934, initially to rival Croydon Airport, and a new train station, Tinsley Green, followed in 1935. A year later, this station was renamed "Gatwick Airport".

During World War 2, the airport came under the operation of the RAF, and became RAF Gatwick; the airport was decommissioned after the war, but luckily got a new lease of life in 1950, when Gatwick was chosen as the site of London's second airport. This way, Gatwick would serve as a backup to the new Heathrow Airport, as well as serving various independent airlines. In 1956, a new, far larger Gatwick Airport was built on the site of the former racecourse, replacing the old building.

From here, the airport's expanded in size, and now has two terminals and one commonly used runway, with an express train line in its name. It's the tenth largest airport in Europe by passenger volume, and is arguably the biggest attraction in Crawley.

Attractions

It's a good rule of thumb that most people go to airports to fly; I myself didn't go to Gatwick just because, rather I went on holiday. However, here are some things you can do in Gatwick if you're bored enough to travel here:

• Take the terminal shuttle

The North and South terminals have been connected by a shuttle since 1987, and this is effectively the only way how you can get to North from the station, which is found in the South terminal.

Shuttles have been running in Gatwick one way or another since 1983, when a shuttle ran from the South terminal (then the only terminal in Gatwick) to a "circular satellite" which had additional departure gates, which had opened in the same year. By 1987, however, these gates had been replaced with North, and the shuttle has since run to and fro between the terminals. 

 

When you board the shuttle, you should expect to have to stand amidst other travellers with backpacks and suitcases, which restricts any movement during the journey. If you're lucky like me and manage to get a seat, you can admire industrial Gatwick and distant Crawley from the comfort of a large window, whilst the intercom plays an ad for Easyjet Holidays, Easyjet being one of six airlines stationed here. Within three minutes, the exhilarating trip is over - those brutalist hangars will have to wait until next time - and you exit for the corresponding terminal.

Once you've checked in and passed security, there is no going back to the previous terminal, though airport anoraks will be relieved to know North and South are incredibly similar. Once you've passed security, you'll be greeted with a lengthy walk past perfume displays, tacky London merchandise, and oversized chocolate bars, as you pass through the Duty Free section. For those with a deep-rooted desire to drink large bottles of vodka and munch from an M&Ms tin, this is the airport for you. And apparently, click and collect can be done with duty free shops too, which I should have suspected was possible in today's modern age, yet I still find excessive - why not just buy it when you're there. And even if you've missed out on the fun of buying, fear not - when flying back to Gatwick, and passing through customs, you can go through Duty Free again!

 

 

The departure lounge contains all your favourite high street brands (and WHSmith), all likely selling products you don't need, at prices that aren't worth it. Otherwise, I suppose you can hang around waiting for your flight's gate to be revealed, as I did. Eventually, my departure gate revealed itself, and off I went with my family to gate 573. Walking down the lengthy corridors to the gate, I noticed an Air China plane waiting on the tarmac, as the sun set peacefully behind it. 

 

 

That's where the journey through Gatwick ends, mainly because there isn't much else to add to it - it's just an airport, at the end of the day. It's no Changi Airport, which has multiple different shuttle routings, entire floors with restaurants and cinemas, and even a nature exhibition in the form of Jewel. Then again, most of Changi can be accessed without a boarding pass, unlike Gatwick, and admittedly most other airports. At least it's not Luton, I suppose. 

The last thing you'll see

Best not overthink the experience, instead just hope the flight isn't delayed, and get out of Crawley as soon as possible.

At last...far away.