Gatwick Airport operates two completely separate terminals approximately 1 mile apart. The North terminal and South terminal have their own check-in areas, security lanes, departure gates, shops and drop-off zones. Getting the wrong one adds at least 10 minutes via the free monorail connection and can cause significant stress if you are close to check-in closing time.
The fastest way to confirm your terminal is to check your boarding pass or e-ticket, which will state either North or South terminal clearly.
Which airlines use Gatwick South terminal?
The South terminal is the larger of the two terminals and handles the majority of full-service and long-haul carriers.
- British Airways — transatlantic and some European routes
- Virgin Atlantic — all long-haul services from Gatwick
- Norwegian — transatlantic and European routes
- TUI — some routes (check boarding pass — TUI uses both terminals)
- easyJet — some routes (check boarding pass)
- Iberia — Madrid connections
The South terminal has the Gatwick Express train station directly beneath it, connecting to London Victoria in 30 minutes.
Which airlines use Gatwick North terminal?
The North terminal handles primarily low-cost and charter carriers.
- easyJet — majority of routes from Gatwick (but check — some use South)
- Jet2 — all Gatwick operations
- Wizz Air — all Gatwick routes
- TUI — some routes (check boarding pass)
- Ryanair — some Gatwick routes
- Vueling — Barcelona and Spanish connections
How to transfer between Gatwick terminals
The two terminals are connected by a free monorail service that departs every 2 minutes and takes approximately 2 minutes to travel between them. Including walking time, allow 10 to 15 minutes for an inter-terminal transfer.
The monorail operates 24 hours, is free in both directions, and departs from within each terminal building — follow signs for Inter-terminal transit.
How to confirm your Gatwick terminal
- Check your boarding pass or e-ticket — the terminal name appears on your airline booking confirmation
- Check the airline website — Gatwick Airport's terminal search tool at gatwickairport.com confirms by airline
- Tell your driver when booking — Gatwick has separate vehicle access roads for North and South terminals. Your driver routes directly to the correct drop-off
Drop-off at Gatwick — North vs South
South terminal drop-off is accessed from the main Gatwick Road approach, directly in front of the terminal building.
North terminal drop-off is accessed via a separate road off the airport loop, in front of the North terminal building.
Always have your terminal confirmed before the journey — changing terminal mid-journey adds time and is not always straightforward on Gatwick's access roads.
Up to 4 passengers, estate. No meter, no surge, no surcharge for the terminal you choose. View Gatwick route details →