The London News Company

WH Smith, had re-branded their outlet at Gatwick as the London News Company.

The London News Company

It was the same old store, with the same old things that annoy me.

My hope is that one day, we get a good travel convenience store.

EatNakd Bars At Gatwick

I searched everywhere and couldn’t find any, or in fact any other gluten-free snacks to take with me on the trip.

I had thought I’d forgotten to pack any, but luckily it turned out I was mistaken.

But obtaining gluten-free snacks on the move is always difficult.

The Southern Way To Do PR

I flew to Geneva from Gatwick on easyJet on an early afternoon flight, as that way, I got to have a good lunch in Jamie’s Italian in the North Terminal. I always prefer to arrive in a strange place well fed, as I can’t be sure of the food I can get there.

To get to Gatwick, I generally go using the Overground to Clapham Junction and then get one of the many trains to the airport, from there.

Together with quite a few other passengers, I piled into one of Southern’s Class 377 trains.  I’ve written about these trains before, and Second Class is so good, I never bother with First. At £6.85 from Clapham Junction to Gatwick, it’s definitely good value, especially as they are well-tabled trains.

But we all piled into a First Class section of the train!

Before the first stop at East Croydon, this was discovered by the ticket collector, who very politely asked us to move on, or buy a simple upgrade. A few jokes were exchanged and I think we all moved, although one guy did buy the upgrade.

I never saw the ticket collector again.

I do wonder though, whether with these trains, the comfort in Second Class is not perceptibly below that in First. The only difference is you have a big table in First and a few signs.

The inspector had handled the situation impeccably and he had warned us about revenue protection officers, who aren’t so pleasant.

I suspect that the whole incident, got Southern a few more returning customers.

Is Sir Howard Going To Recommend A Second Runway At Gatwick?

This report in the Standard speculates that Sir Howard Davies report on London airports might be recommending a second runway at Gatwick.

I think this could be a sensible solution, to providing more runway capacity in the South East of England.

I said in this post, that Gatwick’s second runway, if it is built, should be North South.  Here’s what I said.

I used to fly a lot and was an avid reader of Flight International. Years ago, an airline pilot proposed building a second runway at Gatwick, by building over the M23 and putting that in a tunnel underneath. The runway would have been North-South, which is an unusual direction for the UK, but would only have been used for take-off in a southerly direction.

He had a point and it shows how if you think radically, you may come up with better solutions.

I still think that this North-South proposal should be seriously examined.

Gatwick also has good rail links to London.  My only questions are, are the links as good as they can be and are doing enough to make Farringdon a proper hub with restaurants, hotels and offices? I mused on the latter here!

We need some radical thinking to link the major airports together and also to the Channel Tunnel and HS2.

Changing At New Cross Gate

Coming home, I didn’t go via Clapham Junction station, as the quickest train from Redhill went via New Cross Gate station, where I changed to the Overground.

It is not far to walk, but it is not step free and I had to walk up one tricky staircase and down another.  So this would not be a route from Dalston Junction to Gatwick with a heavy case.

Do We Need More Runways In The South East?

This old chestnut keeps coming round and the London Assembly has produced a report, as is discussed in the Standard. Here’s the first few paragraphs.

The Government’s claim that the South-East faces an aviation capacity crisis was thrown into doubt today after an influential report suggested London has enough runways already.

The London Assembly study found the capital’s airports are currently underused with two — Luton and Stansted — having around half of their runway slots free.

Even Heathrow, at 99 per cent runway capacity, could fly an additional 20 million passengers a year if larger aircraft were used, it claimed.

To test their premise, that London has enough space, let’s look at Gatwick.  Two years ago, I flew out of Gatwick to Greece.  Read what I wrote in this blog. The last statement was.

Let’s face it, if I fly again, I’m not going out of Gatwick.

But in spite of that, I did use the airport to go to Budapest, where I had an excellent meal at Jamie’s Italian.

Gatwick seems to have improved immensely in the last couple of years, since the change of ownership, and it’s all been done by lots of small steps.  The other thing that helps me is the direct link from Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction.

I’m going out to Geneva on the 17th and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. On every trip, Gatwick seems to get better.

Jamie’s Italian At North Terminal, Gatwick Airport

I was surprised to see a branch of Jamie’s Italian at Gatwick and that it had the full gluten-free menu as well.

Wild Rabbit Tagliolini

I had a wild rabbit tagliolini.

The only problem was the texture on the table, that made it difficult for me to write. But food, wine and especially the service were all very good.

It was also good to see a decent gluten free offering in an airport.

I do like to see rabbits working!

How To Get Cancer And Pneumonia

I t0ok this picture on the top of the North Terminal at Gatwick, as I walked into Departures.

How To Get Cancer And Pneumonia

Some people never learn. Or even want to!

On a serious note, I wonder how many have given up smoking this winter, as they don’t like being banished to the cold from their workplace or home.

The Trip Out To Budapest

I’ve just returned from Budapest by train, after flying out on Monday, the 8th. I outlined it here.

I took the Overground, as I indicated I would and it was easy.  I also found out, that all trains for Gatwick Airport leave from platform 13 at Clapham Junction station.

All Trains To Gatwick Go From 13

This makes things easy to remember.  Unfortunately, we were delayed due to someone falling on the line.

The flight out was uneventful and my only complaint, was the uncomfortable seat.  but that’s really down to me, rather than the aircraft.

Dalston Junction To Gatwick Airport

Since it opened, I’ve usually taken the Overground to Clapham Junction station and changed for Gatwick Airport there.

This morning, for my flight out on Monday to Budapest, I looked up to see what the standard train information site said.  They recommended changing at Clapham Junction station.

I’ve just bought a ticket from Clapham Junction to Gatwick Airport on-line.  No problem there, but why can’t I pick it up at Dalston Junction station?