Heathrow to Gatwick: How Much Time You Really Need for the Connection

Plenty of journeys into London land at one airport and leave from the other. It looks simple on a map, but the connection between Heathrow and Gatwick is easy to underestimate, usually because of the time it takes to get off one aircraft, not the drive itself.

How long does it take to get from Heathrow to Gatwick?

If you are working out how to get from Heathrow to Gatwick, the road is the answer: the two airports are around 40 miles apart, linked by the M25 and the M23. In clear traffic the drive takes about an hour; at weekday peaks and on Friday afternoons it can stretch well beyond that, and a single incident on the M25 can add considerably more. There is no direct rail link between the two airports, which is why a car is the most direct way to make the connection.

The drive, though, is the predictable part. The time that varies most is everything before it: leaving the aircraft, passport control, baggage reclaim and the walk to the car. On a busy morning at Heathrow that can take as long as the drive itself, and it is the reason a connection that looks comfortable on paper can turn tight.

How much time to leave between flights

If both flights are on one ticket and the airline has sold you the connection, follow the airline's guidance, because they are responsible for getting you onto the second flight. Most Heathrow to Gatwick journeys are different. They are self-connections on two separate tickets, which means collecting your bags, clearing the border at Heathrow, crossing to Gatwick and checking in again from the beginning.

For a self-connection with checked luggage, we would plan on four to five hours between your scheduled landing at Heathrow and your scheduled departure from Gatwick. That covers a late arrival, a slow passport queue and peak traffic without leaving you running for bag drop. With hand luggage only, and outside the morning peak, you can cut that a little, but it is rarely worth cutting it fine when a missed flight on a separate ticket is your own cost to absorb.

How we plan a connection between the two airports

We plan these transfers backwards from your Gatwick departure, not forwards from your Heathrow landing. Your airline's bag drop and check-in deadline sets the latest time you can reach the Gatwick terminal, and the route is timed against the traffic expected at that hour.

On the Heathrow side, your chauffeur tracks your inbound flight, so an early or late landing is accounted for without a phone call. We cover all Heathrow terminals, from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5, and ask which one you are landing at when you book, so your chauffeur waits in the right arrivals hall with a nameboard rather than moving between terminals on the day, then takes your luggage to the car. Every airport transfer includes an hour of complimentary waiting time, so a slow baggage reclaim does not become a problem. If your airline changes terminal at short notice, let us know and we will adjust.

At the other end, we confirm whether you are flying from Gatwick's North or South Terminal before the day, so the car goes straight to the correct departures forecourt and you never need the shuttle between the two. That saves time at the point in the journey where you are closest to your check-in deadline. The same applies in reverse for a Gatwick to Heathrow connection.

Making the connection easier

A few small things help. Keep your onward booking reference and check-in deadline somewhere easy to reach, because you will want them at Gatwick. If you are travelling as a family or with a lot of luggage, tell us when you book so the car has the space; a Mercedes V-Class seats up to seven and stays comfortable for five with luggage. If your Heathrow flight is badly delayed, we will already know, and we will talk to you about the timing at Gatwick rather than leaving you to work it out in the arrivals hall.