Why does Inverness say
"no thanks Gatwick"?
Heathrow is a premier world hub and is well connected to Central London
Please note - these pages only refer to the situation at Gatwick Airport (as we see it today) and do not refer to the area around the airport: It is a fine part of the country and well worth a visit.
Gatwick's South Terminal is not bad but we think the North Terminal is appalling.

Travel from Gatwick into Central London via train costs a simply exorbitant £19.50 (unbelievably, £17.80 just wasn't enough to sate what looks like corporate greed. They just put it up. Well thanks for nothing - "Greedy Gatwick Express", or should we call it the "Gatwick Excess"?!) All you get for your twenty quid is a second class (apt description) return ticket on the 30 minute journey - that's almost 32p/ min - more than a mobile phone call! Remember: You still have to buy an underground ticket when you arrive at London Victoria.

Heathrow would have seen you into London for £4.00 including a return and unlimited travel for a day on the London Underground and buses! That's a big difference folks - £19.50 plus £4.00 for a Travel card = over 450% higher travel costs from Gatwick. And bear in mind that this train has to circumnavigate Clapham Junction - and this zone has something of a history of train delays and signalling problems!

So if you are planning to visit the Scottish Highlands & Islands check out your problems in advance. If you fly to Heathrow, you will now face an inconvenient extra journey to Gatwick Airport by bus or taxi. And, since you may well miss the last day's connection flight, you may well have to stay an extra (and expensive) night in London - 600 miles from your favoured destination: The Scottish Highlands and Islands.

If your British Regional Airlines undersized BAe146 is delayed (as quite often seems to happen) you could relax at the departure gates and stare at the walls. Don't get too thirsty - unless you have a British Airways Silver or Gold Executive card (common blue won't do). Only these elevated souls get to sit in the "grown ups" lounge on the gate side of security at Gatwick's North Terminal. The rest of us can just suffer and know our place.

Of course, you might like to think about how Happy Heathrow treats its passengers - no apparently snobbish attitudes there. Everyone gets to sit in a lounge and have a drink in comfort, if they so wish. But British Airways has made sure that the Highlands and Islands can forget about such modern and enlightened treatment.

We call upon Gatwick Airport to act immediately to improve the lot of ordinary non-"Silver or Gold" passengers at its North Terminal Departure Gates. Build some decent facilities or open the ones available to the benefit of all.

Editor's note: We are pleased to see that certain small changes have recently taken place at the North Terminal Departure Gates. This little bar has appeared - it's a start, and we are duly grateful, but we want more! Frankly, we won't be appeased by the odd little improvement - we want our flights to Heathrow handed back.

If you are outraged at how this area and its people have been treated then please sign our online Letter of Protest.

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