Gatwick is London's second-busiest airport and, unlike Heathrow's four terminals, it has two: North and South. They handle different airlines and are reached by different roads. For passengers booked with EasyJet, British Airways, Ryanair or any other carrier, the terminal number on your boarding pass is the one that matters — not just for your flight, but for where your transfer driver needs to be.
The two terminals are connected by a free shuttle train, but that shuttle is for moving between them once you are already at the airport — not a fix for a driver who has gone to the wrong one. This guide explains which airlines use which terminal, how far apart they are in practical terms, and what to include in your booking to make sure your pickup goes smoothly.
The North Terminal is EasyJet's main Gatwick home and also handles Wizz Air, Norwegian and a range of charter operators. It is generally the busier terminal during peak summer and holiday periods. The North Terminal has its own entrance road, dedicated pick-up zone and a direct connection to the inter-terminal shuttle station. If you are flying EasyJet, this is where your transfer driver needs to be.
The South Terminal is where Gatwick's main rail station sits, and it handles British Airways, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair and most of Gatwick's long-haul services. If you are arriving from London by Gatwick Express or train, you arrive here first. Passengers connecting to the North Terminal must take the free shuttle. Ryanair's presence in the South Terminal often surprises travellers who associate the carrier with the budget North Terminal — always check your boarding pass.
The free shuttle train runs between the two terminals continuously. The train journey itself is about 2–4 minutes, but allowing for platform waiting time and moving between the shuttle station and the terminal proper, you should budget 10–15 minutes for the transfer. The shuttle runs around the clock, which is useful for early morning and late-night connections.
Include your flight number and terminal (North or South) when booking your Gatwick transfer. Your flight number enables us to track your arrival time; your terminal name ensures your driver approaches via the correct road and is positioned at the right pick-up point before you arrive. If you add meet & greet, your driver will be inside the arrivals hall at your terminal. For more detail on Gatwick pickups, see our Gatwick transfer page. To get your fare now, visit our booking page.
Gatwick Airport has two terminals — North and South — connected by a free shuttle train but separated by around a 4-minute journey. EasyJet operates mainly from the North Terminal. British Airways, Jet2, TUI and Ryanair use the South Terminal, though airline allocations do change. Always check your boarding pass for the terminal before you book your transfer — arriving at the wrong one means a train ride and extra time you may not have budgeted for.
This page pulls together everything you need on Gatwick terminal guide in one place — how it works, what to expect and the questions we are asked most — so you can decide and book with confidence. Prefer to talk it through? Call us any time on +44 (0) 158 282 4631 for a fixed-fare quote.
The North Terminal at Gatwick is primarily home to EasyJet, which operates the majority of its Gatwick routes from here. Wizz Air, Norwegian and a number of charter carriers also use the North Terminal. It is generally considered the busier of the two terminals in terms of passenger volume during peak periods. The North Terminal has its own dedicated road approach, pick-up lanes and rail station platform — separate from the South.
EasyJet: main carrier at Gatwick North
Wizz Air, Norwegian and select charter operators
Own road access and rail platform
Separate pick-up zone from South Terminal
The South Terminal handles British Airways, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic (some routes) and a range of other carriers including several long-haul airlines. The South Terminal is where Gatwick's international departure lounge and rail station are located, and it is the terminal you reach first when arriving from central London by Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink. It has its own road access and set of pick-up lanes distinct from the North.
British Airways, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair
Virgin Atlantic (check booking for confirmation)
Gatwick Express arrives at South Terminal rail station
Contains main international shopping and departure areas
The two terminals are around 600 metres apart as the crow flies, but they are not walkable from outside the airside area. A free shuttle train runs between them around the clock, taking approximately 2–4 minutes for the journey itself, though waiting for the train and boarding can add another 5–10 minutes. By road, the North and South terminals have separate access routes and pick-up zones — a driver positioned at one cannot simply park and walk to the other.
Your driver will position in the pick-up lane for the terminal you specify. At Gatwick, the North and South terminal pick-up zones are accessed via different road approaches on the Gatwick perimeter. A driver waiting at the South Terminal for a North Terminal arrival needs to leave the airport road system and re-enter via the North Terminal approach — in busy Gatwick traffic, that is a delay of 15–25 minutes. Including your terminal number in your booking takes five seconds and eliminates that risk. If you add meet & greet, your driver will be inside the arrivals hall of the correct terminal with a name board, ready as soon as you clear customs.
The most reliable place to confirm your terminal is your actual booking confirmation or boarding pass rather than memory or a general assumption about your airline, since allocations are not fixed forever and can shift between when you book a flight and when you travel. If you are at all unsure, checking your airline's confirmation email or the airport's own flight information a day or two before travel is worth the two minutes it takes, particularly if it has been a while since you last flew with that carrier from Gatwick.
Terminal changes do occasionally happen closer to the travel date, and if that happens to you after you have already booked your transfer, letting us know as soon as you find out is all that is needed — we update the driver's instructions and pick-up point at our end, so there is nothing further for you to arrange. This is exactly the kind of change worth calling about rather than emailing, since a same-day terminal switch needs the driver's plan updated before they set off, not after.
Whichever Gatwick terminal you need, the car collecting you is a licensed minicab: booked in advance, never hailed, with the driver and vehicle each carrying their own private hire licence. That advance booking is exactly why a terminal change can be handled with a phone call rather than a scramble — the driver was briefed on your journey before you travelled, so updating one detail is a simple adjustment, not a fresh booking.
EasyJet operates the majority of its Gatwick flights from the North Terminal. Always confirm on your boarding pass or the EasyJet app before you travel, as occasional exceptions apply to specific routes.
British Airways uses the South Terminal at Gatwick. Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI also mainly use the South Terminal, though check your specific flight on your boarding pass to confirm.
Yes. The inter-terminal shuttle train at Gatwick is free of charge and runs 24 hours a day. The journey takes 2–4 minutes, though you should allow 10–15 minutes including waiting and boarding.
No. The Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink services from London all stop at the South Terminal rail station. To reach the North Terminal by rail, you take the free inter-terminal shuttle from the South Terminal station.
Your driver will be in the designated pick-up area for your terminal. If you add meet & greet, they will wait inside arrivals with a name board. Always include your terminal (North or South) when booking so your driver positions correctly from the start.
Contact your driver as soon as you realise. They can reposition, but at Gatwick this involves leaving and re-entering the airport road system, which takes extra time. The simplest fix is to check your terminal on your boarding pass the night before and include it in your booking.
Both terminals are at the same distance from London by road — Gatwick is around 28 miles south of central London via the M23 and A23. The South Terminal is where London rail services arrive, but transfer journey times from London by road are the same for both terminals.
Ryanair currently operates from the South Terminal at Gatwick. However, airline terminal allocations at Gatwick do change, so always confirm on your boarding pass before booking your transfer.
Not from outside the airside area. The free shuttle train is the recommended option. A walk between the two terminal buildings by road would be impractical and is not pedestrian-friendly. Once you are landside, use the shuttle.
Yes. Airportmove offers meet & greet at both the North and South terminals. Your driver enters the arrivals hall for your specific terminal and waits with a name board until you clear baggage reclaim and customs.
This page is written and reviewed by the Airportmove operations team, a London-licensed private-hire operator based at 450 Bath Rd, near Heathrow. We arrange fixed-fare airport, station, cruise-port and door-to-door transfers across London and the UK every day. Need help? Call +44 (0) 158 282 4631 or email booking@airportmove.co.uk.
Last updated: 7 July 2026
