Gatwick has two terminals, North and South, in separate buildings about a mile apart. Unlike Heathrow's four, they are easy to move between — but they are still two different drop-off points, and giving your driver the wrong one wastes time you may not have on the morning of a flight.
Here's how to be sure which one you need, and what to do if you end up at the other.
North or South: how to check
In order of reliability:
- Your boarding pass or check-in confirmation. Issued closest to departure, so it reflects any change.
- Your airline's flight page, using your booking reference.
- Gatwick's own flight search, by flight number, on gatwickairport.com.
Don't rely on a list of "which airline uses which terminal". Airlines move between the two, and plenty of guides online are out of date — one of the most common reasons people end up in the wrong building. Check your own booking rather than a general list, including on the day.
The free shuttle between them
If you do get it wrong, it is genuinely fixable. Gatwick runs a free inter-terminal shuttle that takes about two minutes, running every few minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
That's the important difference from Heathrow, where the terminals sit on separate sites and moving between them is a proper journey. At Gatwick, the wrong terminal costs you a few minutes plus the walk to and from the shuttle platform — annoying with bags and children, not usually a disaster.
The station is at the South Terminal
This catches people out on both legs:
- Arriving by train — Gatwick Airport railway station is attached to the South Terminal (our Gatwick Express comparison covers that route). If you're flying from the North Terminal, you take the shuttle after you get off the train.
- Leaving by train after landing at the North Terminal, you do the same in reverse.
A pre-booked car avoids that hop entirely, because the driver sets you down at the terminal you're actually flying from. Which is exactly why it's worth putting the terminal in your booking rather than just "Gatwick".
Telling us which terminal
Add North or South to your booking. For a pickup, it decides where the driver waits; for a drop-off, it decides which forecourt they use. If your terminal changes after you book — it happens, particularly after a cancellation and rebooking — tell us and we'll update it.
And on arrivals, add your flight number. That's what lets the pickup follow your actual landing time rather than the scheduled one; our waiting time and meet-and-greet guide explains how that works in practice.
Drop-off and pickup are terminal-specific too
Each terminal has its own forecourt, and Gatwick — like most UK airports — charges a fee for vehicles that use it. That charge is set by the airport rather than by us; our drop-off charges guide covers the current arrangements across UK airports.
For pickups, the practical question is where you'll actually meet your driver: in the arrivals hall on a meet-and-greet, or at a designated pickup area. Either way it happens at the terminal you land at, which is why the flight number matters more than the terminal you departed from weeks earlier.
If you're flying out of one terminal and back into the other
It's more common than you'd think, particularly on a return booked with two different airlines or where the outbound and inbound are operated by different carriers. Two things follow:
- Your drop-off and pickup terminals can differ. Check both legs when you book, not just the outbound.
- If you've left a car in a car park, note which terminal it belongs to — that's a longer walk-back problem than the shuttle solves comfortably with luggage.
Planning the journey either way
Gatwick recommends arriving at least two hours before departure, which our guide to how early to arrive at the airport turns into an actual pickup time. For the wider picture — drop-off charges, pickup points and routes — see our Gatwick airport guide and the Gatwick airport page.
If you're coming from Surrey or south London, our Gatwick from Surrey guide covers the M25 junctions that shape the journey, and you can see the fixed price for your postcode on our airport transfer pages.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I know if I'm flying from Gatwick North or South Terminal? A: Check your boarding pass or check-in confirmation first, then your airline's flight page, then Gatwick's flight search by flight number. Airlines move between terminals, so don't rely on an older list.
Q: How do you get between Gatwick's North and South terminals? A: A free inter-terminal shuttle runs every few minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and takes about two minutes.
Q: Which Gatwick terminal is the train station at? A: The railway station is attached to the South Terminal. If you're flying from the North Terminal, take the free shuttle across after arriving by train.
Q: What if my driver drops me at the wrong Gatwick terminal? A: Use the free shuttle — it runs around the clock and takes about two minutes. Giving your terminal when you book avoids it in the first place.
Q: Can my Gatwick terminal change after I book my flight? A: Yes, particularly if you're rebooked after a cancellation or the flight is operated by a different airline. Re-check before you travel and tell us if it changes.
See fixed Gatwick transfer prices for your area or get an estimate for your journey.