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How should I plan a BA connection that changes between Heathrow and Gatwick?

Treat Heathrow–Gatwick as a change of airport, not an airside terminal transfer. BA says travelers connecting between London airports need the documents required to enter the UK. The journey includes leaving the arrival airport, ground transport and the departure process at the other airport; the onward flight’s deadlines still apply.

Carry-on, checked baggage, pet carrier and stroller prepared for airport travel

What this answer depends on

  • British Airways connection planning involving London Heathrow and London Gatwick; exact itinerary and UK entry eligibility require verification
  • A city label such as London can hide the operational difference between LHR and LGW. Confirm both airport codes before interpreting the connection. BA’s Heathrow Flight Connections route is an internal airport process; it is not the way to reach Gatwick. The different-airport journey requires its own landside plan.
  • BA explicitly tells travelers connecting between airports to check the documents needed to enter the UK. A traveler eligible to remain in an airport’s transit area should not assume that the same permission permits the landside airport change. Use the current official UK requirements for the person and journey; this article does not decide them.
  • BA identifies National Express as a direct coach option, but a coach journey alone does not include arrival formalities, finding the departure point, any airport task or onward security. Verify the current operator service and the correct terminals rather than using a historic frequency or a general travel-time estimate as a connection guarantee.
  • The second airport is not reached through an airside connection corridor. Plan for its applicable check-in, document and security steps, then the onward gate requirement. No single number in this guide substitutes for that task list. If the itinerary itself appears too tight, ask the ticket provider about the exact connection before travel.
  • BA says travelers connecting between London airports need the correct documents to enter the UK.
  • BA describes a direct National Express coach option between Heathrow and Gatwick as part of an airport change.

Important exceptions

  • This is not a visa guarantee, a live coach timetable, a fare quote, a universal minimum connection time or a missed-connection remedy. No airline terminal allocation is frozen into the article. Baggage allowances and claims are outside scope.

What to do next

  1. Confirm LHR and LGW on the actual flight itinerary and identify the operating airlines.

  2. Verify that the traveler has the documents required for the landside UK airport change.

  3. Check current ground-transport options and the relevant airport arrival/departure locations; BA identifies a direct coach route as one option.

  4. Plan backward from the onward airline’s required tasks and deadlines, including the airport change rather than only vehicle travel.

  5. Keep both airport codes, flight/date details, operating carriers, onward check-in requirements and the verified document requirements. Retain a current ground-transport plan rather than an old timetable screenshot.

More booking questions

Is this the same as changing Heathrow terminals?

No. BA treats connections between London airports separately and requires consideration of UK entry documents.

Checked againstFlight connections

Does the coach ride time equal the connection time I need?

No. It excludes the airport tasks on either side of the ride.

Checked againstFlight connections

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