London Gatwick is one of the busiest airports in Europe, handling around 46 million passengers a year from two terminals — North and South — connected by a free shuttle train. Most visitors pass through without a second thought, but for anyone with a long layover or a cancelled flight, the airport is only ten minutes by direct rail from Crawley town centre.
The South Terminal is the older and larger of the two; the North Terminal handles mainly long-haul and charter services. Both have the standard range of airport retail and eating, with the South Terminal's departures hall the more architecturally substantial of the two. A fast check-in and dedicated rail link to London Victoria (the Gatwick Express) and London Bridge (Southern/Thameslink) runs every few minutes throughout the day.
Gatwick was the world's first purpose-built commercial airport terminal building when it opened in 1936; the original Beehive building (Grade II* listed) is still visible on the airfield perimeter, though no longer in public use.