Norwegian Air to Gatwick on to Cardiff by Train

[tearendt]

We are flying on Norwegian Air ....Chicago to Gatwick (South), scheduled to arrive at 10:50 AM. From Gatwick we are looking for a make-able train connection to Cardiff. National Rail shows a Great Western train with one change in Reading leaving at 12:00 and 13:00. Not knowing the airport and distance to train platforms..... I'm trying to decide which advance tickets to purchase for my wife and myself. Any suggestions appreciated.
Tim

 

[Eleanor]

The train station is attached to the south terminal at Gatwick and once you are through immigration, baggage collection and customs, it is only a few minutes walk. All the information is here and I've done a screen shot of the relevant page.

It doesn't seem to make any difference which airline or route I'm flying, we always seem to land at the furthest gate. It could be a 15 minute walk to immigration. Time for Immigration will depend upon queues. I've always found that baggage reclaim at Gatwick is very slow (slower than other airports) and there have been times when it has taken an hour for the bags to appear...

With a 10.50 scheduled arrival, I think it might be tight to catch the 12.00 train. The 13.00 is more realistic - unless you can get an open ticket (more expensive) which doesn't restrict what train you catch.

There is more information here about what happens if your flight is delayed.

 

[tearendt]

Eleanor.... thank you for the very helpful info.
Tim

 

[PatrickLondon]

At that time of day you'd be travelling off-peak anyway, and those tickets are usually available for any train in off-peak hours. Use www.nationalrail.co.uk and for each ticket price it will show you what other trains you could travel on with that ticket. As long as you're prepared to do without reserving a seat......