Unbelievable! The UK's 2nd-Busiest Airport Welcomes 5th New Airline In 11 Day
Massive aviation boom! See how the UK’s second-busiest airport secured 5 new airlines in only 11 days and why this trend could reshape UK travel.
There's something exciting about inaugural flights. The route length and airline don’t matter. All that’s important is that they’re celebrated and made special. After all, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to gain publicity and more bookings and they’re great fun.
It is even more notable when a new airline joins an airport’s portfolio. And in the case of London Gatwick, they welcome a new carrier regularly. On April 1, the German leisure carrier Condor became the fifth airline so far this year all starting within 11 days. I was delighted to be on Condor's inaugural flight as a guest of the carrier.
The Run-Up To Condor’s First Departure from Gatwick
Largely to avoid the inevitably massive traffic jam on the M25, which is the UK's largest car park, I arrived at Gatwick at 7:50 am, two-and-a-half-hours before the 10:20 am departure. Curiously, Condor's boarding pass said the airline uses the North Terminal, while Gatwick's website says it's the South Terminal. While this inconsistency needs to be ironed out, it did not prove a problem.
Despite traveling in Condor's business class (more on that below), I couldn’t obtain a boarding pass in advance. So I went to Zone D in the North Terminal. Despite having a separate business check-in desk, no staff were available, so I had to use the economy desk instead. The lady was apologetic and allowed me to go first in the line. But the bigger frustration was waiting landside for quite a while just to get a boarding pass.
It was unclear if the ticket included security fast track. It was not stated elsewhere either. I headed to the security zone, and asked the member of staff manning the fast-track desk. She was unsure, and stated, "You’re flying Condor, is that Air France?"
Access to the Plaza Premium Lounge was included. While a simple setup, it has a great view, including many stands and the runway and two parked Emirates Airbus A380s due to the war. I liked the welcome sign (but featuring a Condor 767-300ER in the old livery) celebrating the arrival of the airline and the special drink. Happily, the lounge was quiet.
