A Gatwick airport transfer with BlaakLane.com is a fixed fare agreed before you travel. London Gatwick has two terminals, North and South, linked by a free shuttle train, and pickups for pre-booked cars take place in the designated area of each terminal's short-stay car park. Your flight is tracked and 60 minutes of waiting from landing is included on international arrivals.
How to book a Gatwick transfer
Enter "London Gatwick (LGW)" as the pickup, your flight number, landing time and destination, then choose a vehicle class. Each option carries one fixed price for the route. The M23 and M25 can turn a 75-minute run into two hours; the fare does not change. The identical engine also sits on the book page.
Gatwick transfers are driven by vetted affiliates licensed as private hire operators, with licensed drivers and vehicles, under the rules of the relevant local licensing authority, and contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. The confirmation names the operator, chauffeur and car, and the 24/7 Toronto desk manages the booking.
North Terminal or South Terminal?
Gatwick's two terminals are about a mile apart and connected airside and landside by a free automated shuttle that takes roughly two minutes. Airlines are allocated to one or the other, and allocations change, so check the terminal on your airline booking. The flight number in your reservation tells the chauffeur where to go.
Where the chauffeur picks you up at Gatwick
Gatwick does not allow private hire pickups on the terminal forecourts. Pre-booked cars collect passengers from the designated pick-up area in the short-stay car park of each terminal, a short signed walk from arrivals. That is the standard BlaakLane.com pickup. The chauffeur is not in the arrivals hall by default; if you want a name board at the arrivals exit and an escort to the car park, add meet and greet when you book. Add-ons are only available in selected locations.
UK border and baggage timing
The United Kingdom is not in the Schengen area or the EU Entry/Exit System. Arriving passengers go through UK Border Force passport control, and many visitors who do not need a visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before flying; check the UK government ETA guidance for your nationality. eGates are available to eligible passport holders. Allow 25-60 minutes from landing to the car park at busy morning arrival times. The 60 minutes of included waiting starts at the actual landing time; UK domestic flights include 30 minutes.
How long is the drive from Gatwick to London?
Gatwick is about 45 km (28 miles) south of central London, so the drive is longer than from Heathrow or London City.
| Destination | Typical drive | Route notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Belgravia | 70-110 minutes | M23, A23 through Brixton or via the M25 |
| The City and Liverpool Street | 75-110 minutes | Central congestion near the river |
| Canary Wharf | 70-100 minutes | Blackwall Tunnel approach can queue |
| Heathrow Airport | 50-80 minutes | M25 clockwise; very variable |
| Brighton | 35-50 minutes | M23 and A23 south |
| Oxford | 1 h 45 - 2 h 15 | M25 and M40 |
| Cambridge | 1 h 45 - 2 h 15 | M25 and M11 |
Central London has a Congestion Charge zone and the London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone, both managed by Transport for London. Affiliate vehicles are ULEZ compliant as a matter of local rules. Weekday traffic into London is heaviest 07:00-10:00, and the M25 can be slow at almost any time. Onward trips to Oxford or Cambridge are priced as fixed intercity fares.
Which vehicle suits a Gatwick run?
With a long motorway drive, comfort and luggage space count. A guide to the fleet:
- Standard Sedan: one or two passengers with two suitcases.
- Luxury Executive Sedan: executives who want to take calls in an S-Class-type cabin for the hour and a half into town.
- Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): VIP guests and special occasions.
- Standard Black SUV: families returning from holiday with large cases, up to six passengers and six bags.
- Executive Black SUV: the same space with a more formal finish.
- Sprinter Van: groups of up to 12, such as a wedding party or a sports team.
- Sprinter Luxury Jet Van: seven travellers with carry-on, working together on the way.
- Luxury Stretch Limo and Party Bus: celebrations rather than luggage-heavy airport runs.
Planning ranges for each class are on rates.
What is included in the Gatwick fare
The price covers the vehicle, chauffeur, flight tracking and included waiting. Gratuity, the short-stay car park fee at pickup and any London Congestion Charge on the route are charged at actual cost and added to the booking. After the allowance, waiting is charged in 15-minute blocks. Child seats can be requested at no charge.
Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Southern trains
Gatwick Airport station sits beside the South Terminal. The Gatwick Express runs non-stop to London Victoria in about 30 minutes, Thameslink trains go through London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon and St Pancras, and Southern services also run to Victoria and the coast. See National Rail for live times. If you are going to St Pancras for Eurostar, the London St Pancras page covers station pickups. The train is often quickest for one person with light bags. For families, heavy luggage, late-night arrivals when rail engineering work closes lines, or destinations outside central London, a car is simpler.
Connecting to Heathrow, City, Stansted or Luton
Plenty of passengers land at Gatwick and fly out of another London airport. The drive to Heathrow is usually 50-80 minutes by the M25; to London City around 70-100 minutes; to Stansted or Luton often two hours or more. Leave a generous buffer for the M25. Private flyers heading to Farnborough or Biggin Hill can book the same way.
Departures from Gatwick
Allow at least two hours before a European flight and three before long-haul, more in the school holidays. From Mayfair, a pickup around three and a half hours before departure is common for long-haul flights at busy times. Departing passengers are dropped at the forecourt of the correct terminal, where Gatwick charges a drop-off fee for vehicles; that fee is charged at actual cost and added to the booking.
Corporate and group travel through Gatwick
Gatwick serves holidaymakers, but also business travellers heading to the City, Crawley's business parks and the south coast. Corporate accounts bring monthly invoicing and traveller profiles, and group transportation covers teams and wedding parties. Arrivals needing several cars are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Cancellation policy
Nothing to pay if you cancel more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% within 72 hours; 50% within 48 hours; the full fare within 24 hours or for a no-show.
Gatwick information sources
- London Gatwick Airport for terminals, airlines and car parks.
- Gatwick Airport on Wikipedia.
- For hotels and journeys around the capital: London chauffeur service.
Gatwick for the Surrey and Sussex countryside
Gatwick is the natural airport for the countryside south of London, which is often closer than the capital itself. Glyndebourne, the opera house near Lewes, runs its festival season from about May to August and is roughly 45-60 minutes from the terminals. Goodwood, near Chichester, hosts the Festival of Speed, usually in July, and the Revival, usually in September, both about an hour away. Wentworth and other Surrey golf clubs, country house hotels in the Weald and the villages of the South Downs are all practical door-to-door runs. Rural lanes are narrow, and some estates have long private drives with gates, so include access notes in the booking. For a day at the races or a festival, hourly hire keeps the car with you, and the chauffeur waits in the designated parking area until you are ready to leave.
