Gatwick airport has launched a new service allowing short-haul flights and long-haul services to be booked in one transaction.
Touted as a ‘world-first’, GatwickConnects offers travellers peace of mind by vowing to look after them if their flights do not operate as planned, the airport said.
The airport said GatwickConnects is the first time an airport has taken the lead to book and safeguard connections. GatwickConnects routes can be found when booking through Skyscanner and Dohop.
Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport said: “Gatwick is a competitive and innovative airport that can respond quickly to the changing way people are choosing to fly.
“We are uniquely placed to offer a service like GatwickConnects, due to the breadth of our route network and our diverse short and long haul airline mix.
“This new service will provide outstanding choice for passengers, as well as genuine savings, and we will offer travellers a range of hassle free check-in, baggage handling and hospitality benefits while they are with us.
“GatwickConnects is the latest example of the better standards, choice and competition travellers have enjoyed since BAA’s monopoly of airports was broken up. Gatwick remains the best and most deliverable option to deliver the runway that UK consumers need.”
Flight Route | Price and Journey Time Cheapest existing protected route | Price and Journey Time GatwickConnects | Saving |
Jersey to Fort Lauderdale | £1,116 18 hours and 9 minutes | £240 15 hours and 30 minutes | £876 |
New York to Larnaca | £957 18 hours | £203 14 hours 5 minutes | £754 |
Agadir to Helsinki | £378 21 hours and 50 minutes | £152 9 hours 55 minutes | £226 |
Inverness to Palma | £225 22 hours | £108 7 hours | £117 |
Madrid to Reykjavik | £237 9 hours 10 minutes | £144 8 hours | £93 |
Gatwick claims to have the UK’s largest route network, serving 11 UK regional points and 190 international destinations.
Around one million travellers already access this network each year by connecting from low-cost airlines to other low-cost or full service airlines, but make separate bookings with no protection if a flight is rescheduled or delayed.
Gatwick said GatwickConnects offers significant cost and time savings. It highlighted Jersey to Fort Lauderdale which, when booked through GatwickConnects, results in a £876 saving.
Passengers travelling with easyJet, Norwegian and Wow are able to use the service, and booking with GatwickConnects also offers other benefits including premium security and savings on lounge access and money off duty free.