The quickest answer: your terminal is printed on your boarding pass and on your booking confirmation email. If you cannot find it, the airline decides it — easyJet flies from the North Terminal, British Airways and Ryanair from the South. London Gatwick’s official which terminal checker settles it in seconds.
Gatwick is two separate airports wearing one name. The North and South Terminals have their own access roads, their own car parks, their own drop-off forecourts and their own arrivals halls. Turning up at the wrong one is not a disaster — there is a free shuttle — but it costs you time you probably budgeted for the security queue instead.
This guide covers how to be certain which terminal you need, where a taxi can actually drop you and collect you at each one, and what happens if you get it wrong. It is written for passengers travelling from Surrey and south London, where Gatwick is the closer airport for almost every town we cover.
How to find your terminal in ten seconds
In order of reliability:
- Your boarding pass. The terminal is printed on it. This is the only source that reflects your specific flight.
- Your booking confirmation email from the airline or travel agent.
- The airline. With two exceptions covered below, each airline uses one terminal for every flight it operates from Gatwick.
- Gatwick’s own checker. The airport publishes a live airline-to-terminal list and a departures board that shows the terminal against each flight number.
What is not reliable: what terminal you used last time, what your friend flying the same route used, or a third-party travel site. Airlines do move between terminals, and a route you have flown for years can change.
Which airlines use Gatwick North Terminal
The North Terminal is easyJet’s base and handles most of Gatwick’s long-haul Middle East and Asia carriers. Correct at the time of writing:
| Airline | Code |
|---|---|
| easyJet | EZY, EJU, EZS |
| Emirates | EK |
| Qatar Airways | QR |
| Singapore Airlines | SQ |
| SWISS | LX |
| Eurowings | EW |
| Icelandair | FI |
| JetBlue | B6 |
| WestJet | WS |
| Air Transat | TS |
| Air China | CA |
| China Eastern | MU |
| Ethiopian Airlines | ET |
| Gulf Air | GF |
| Royal Air Maroc | AT |
| Air Arabia / Air Arabia Maroc | G9, 3O |
| Air Mauritius | MK |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | J2 |
| Uzbekistan Airways | HY |
| Condor | DE |
Also North: Animawings, Atlantic Airways, FlyErbil, Freebird and Qanot Sharq.
Which airlines use Gatwick South Terminal
The South Terminal is the busier of the two by airline count, and it is where British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air operate from.
| Airline | Code |
|---|---|
| British Airways | BA |
| Ryanair | FR |
| Jet2 | LS |
| Wizz Air | W4, W6, W9 |
| Vueling | VY |
| Norwegian | DY, D8, DH |
| Norse Atlantic | N0, Z0 |
| Turkish Airlines | TK |
| TAP Portugal | TP |
| Air France | AF |
| Air India | AI |
| Air Europa | UX |
| Aegean Airlines | A3 |
| Iberia Express | I2 |
| Croatia Airlines | OU |
| air Baltic | BT |
| China Southern | CZ |
| Kenya Airways | KQ |
| KM Malta Airlines | KM |
| Pegasus Airlines | PC |
| SunExpress | XQ |
| Aurigny | GR |
Also South: Air Peace, Air Zimbabwe, Ascend Airways, Azores Airlines, Corendon, Enter Air, Mavi Gok, Nouvelair, Sky Alps, Sky Express, Titan Airways, Tunisair, Turkmenistan Airlines and Uganda Airlines.
The two exceptions that catch people out
TUI uses both terminals
TUI is the one airline at Gatwick that operates from both. The flight number tells you which:
- Flight numbers beginning TOM depart from the North Terminal
- Flight numbers beginning BY depart from the South Terminal
Two TUI flights leaving within an hour of each other can go from opposite ends of the airport. If you are on a TUI booking, check the letters, not the destination.
British Airways is South at Gatwick — not like Heathrow
This is the one that trips up frequent flyers rather than nervous ones. At Heathrow, British Airways splits across Terminal 5 and Terminal 3, so BA passengers are trained to check. At Gatwick there is no split: every British Airways flight goes from the South Terminal. The habit of checking is still a good one, but the answer here is simple.
Where taxis drop off at each terminal
Both terminals have a designated drop-off zone on the forecourt outside the building, a short walk from check-in and departures. There are no barriers on either forecourt — number plates are read automatically, so you drive in, pull into a marked bay, unload and drive out.
| Terminal | Where the drop-off zone is | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| North Terminal | Lower level, between the Sofitel and the multi-storey car park | M23 junction 9, straight ahead at the J9a roundabout, then first exit signposted North Terminal |
| South Terminal | Lower level, following signs for Drop Off | M23 junction 9, filter lane and left at the J9a roundabout, then follow signs to South Terminal |
The Gatwick drop-off charge
Using either forecourt costs money. Gatwick’s published drop-off charges are:
- £10 for the first 10 minutes, the minimum charge
- £1 for each additional minute, up to 20 minutes
- Maximum stay 30 minutes, and a maximum of £30 per day
- Payable by midnight the day after your visit, or you receive a Parking Charge Notice
- Blue Badge holders are exempt, on registration with Times24
If you would rather not pay it, Gatwick’s Long Stay car parks give two hours free with a free shuttle bus to the terminal — worth knowing if you are seeing someone off rather than just dropping a bag.
Gatwick is candid about how this applies to taxis. Its own transport pages note that operators other than the airport’s contracted partner do serve Gatwick, and that all of them are subject to the drop-off charge and add it to the fare. We are one of those operators. It is a real cost of the journey and we would rather you saw it explained here than found it on your invoice — the same reason we set out exactly what goes into a quote before you book.
If you arrive at the wrong terminal
The inter-terminal shuttle
Gatwick runs a free inter-terminal shuttle between North and South. It runs every few minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the ride itself takes about two minutes. The shuttle station sits close to the railway station in the South Terminal; from either building you simply follow the signs for the other terminal.
Two minutes sounds like nothing, and the ride genuinely is. The honest figure is the door-to-door one: walking to the shuttle station, waiting, riding, and walking to the right check-in desk realistically takes fifteen to twenty minutes with luggage. Gatwick’s own guidance backs this up — it asks connecting passengers to allow at least 60 minutes between flights in the same terminal, and at least 90 minutes when the terminals differ. That extra half hour is the airport’s own estimate of what a terminal change really costs.
So it is recoverable. It is just recoverable out of your buffer, not out of thin air.
Why we ask for your flight number
When you book an airport transfer with us we ask for the flight number rather than just the terminal. There are two reasons, and neither is administrative box-ticking.
First, the flight number is the authoritative record of which terminal you need. If you tell us “South” and your booking says otherwise, the flight number catches it before the driver sets off, not on the forecourt.
Second, it lets us monitor the flight. Gatwick departures and arrivals shift, and a driver who knows your aircraft is landing forty minutes late is a driver who is not sitting in a car park burning your money. Live flight monitoring comes as standard on our airport bookings.
Arrivals: where your driver meets you
Coming home, the terminal matters just as much — arrivals at North and South are separate halls in separate buildings. There are two ways to be collected, and they suit different journeys.
Meeting you inside arrivals
Our driver parks, walks into the arrivals hall and meets you there, normally with a name board, and helps with the bags. This is the easy option after a long flight, with children, or when you are not certain how long passport control and baggage reclaim will take. It is the meet and greet arrangement, and it is available on request at either terminal.
Express Pick-Up
If you would rather walk out and jump straight in, Gatwick’s Express Pick-Up bays sit inside the Short Stay car parks:
| Terminal | Express Pick-Up location |
|---|---|
| North Terminal | Car Park 6, Level 4 |
| South Terminal | Car Park 3, ground floor (Level 0) |
Two rules worth knowing: the driver must stay with the vehicle, because unattended cars can be issued a parking charge notice, and the Express Pick-Up bays must not be used for dropping off. Use is charged at Gatwick’s standard Short Stay rates.
One piece of operational reassurance: Gatwick’s dedicated private hire waiting area is on-airport in the South Terminal, and it gives quick access to both buildings. A driver waiting there is minutes from either arrivals hall, which is why a slightly late landing does not turn into a long wait for you. We cover this in more detail in our guide to Gatwick terminal pickup by private hire.
Journey times to Gatwick from across Surrey
Typical driving times in normal traffic, measured to the terminals. They are the same to either terminal, give or take a minute or two on the airport approach roads.
| From | Typical drive | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Redhill | ~13–16 min | A23, no motorway needed |
| Reigate | ~17 min | A217 and A23 |
| Banstead | ~21–28 min | M25 J8 then M23, or A217 over Reigate Hill |
| Ewell | ~28 min | A240 / A217 to the M23 |
| Epsom | ~26–35 min | A24 / A217 to the M25, then M23 |
| Sutton | ~33 min | A217 and M23 |
Gatwick’s own published estimate for Redhill and Reigate is 30 minutes. That is deliberately cautious and includes an allowance for traffic and roadworks, which is the right way to plan a flight. The shorter figures above are clear-road drive times — useful for understanding the distance, not for setting your alarm.
Whichever number you work from, add the airport-side time: the M23 junction 9 approach, the terminal loop, and the walk from the forecourt to check-in. For a fuller breakdown of one route end to end, see our guide to the Epsom to Gatwick transfer.
Booking a Gatwick transfer that goes to the right terminal
Clocktower Cars runs licensed private hire across Epsom, Ewell, Sutton, Banstead, Reigate, Redhill, Leatherhead, Bookham, Chessington, Kingston, Guildford and Godalming, and Gatwick is the nearest airport for nearly all of them.
Give us your flight number and we will work the terminal out. Bookings run 24 hours a day, with live flight monitoring on airport jobs, child seats on request, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, corporate accounts, and payment by card, cash or account.
Call the Epsom office on 01372 747 747, book online, or request a fixed quote. Other branches and their direct numbers are on our find us page, and there is more on our Gatwick airport transfers and all airports pages.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which Gatwick terminal I need?
Your terminal is printed on your boarding pass and shown on your airline booking confirmation. If you have neither to hand, the airline usually decides it: easyJet flies from the North Terminal, British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air from the South. TUI is the exception and uses both.
Which airlines use Gatwick North Terminal?
easyJet, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, SWISS, Eurowings, Icelandair, JetBlue, WestJet, Air Transat, Air China, China Eastern, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, Royal Air Maroc, Air Arabia, Air Mauritius, Azerbaijan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways and Condor, among others. TUI flights numbered TOM also go from the North Terminal.
How long does the shuttle between Gatwick terminals take?
The shuttle ride itself takes about two minutes, and the service is free and runs every few minutes, 24 hours a day. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes door to door with luggage. Gatwick asks connecting passengers to leave at least 90 minutes when changing terminals, against 60 minutes within one terminal.
Where do taxis drop off at Gatwick?
In the designated drop-off zones on the forecourt outside each terminal, on the lower level. The North Terminal zone sits between the Sofitel and the multi-storey car park; the South Terminal zone is signposted from the terminal approach. There are no barriers — number plates are read automatically and the charge starts at £10.
Where will my driver meet me when I land at Gatwick?
Either inside the arrivals hall of your terminal, on a meet and greet booking, or at the Express Pick-Up bays in the Short Stay car parks — Car Park 6 Level 4 at the North Terminal, Car Park 3 ground floor at the South. Tell us which you would prefer when you book.
What if my terminal changes after I book?
Tell us and we will update the booking — there is no charge for it. Because we hold your flight number, a terminal change usually shows up on our side as well, and our driver waits in Gatwick’s on-airport private hire area, which serves both terminals within minutes.
Is Gatwick North or South Terminal bigger?
The South Terminal serves more airlines, including British Airways, Ryanair, Jet2 and Wizz Air. The North Terminal is easyJet’s base and handles much of Gatwick’s long-haul traffic. For a passenger the practical difference is not size but access: they are separate buildings with separate roads, car parks and arrivals halls.