Special Assistance

Drop-off and pick-up

Both terminals have drop-off points for passengers. There is usually a charge to use these. Blue Badge holders may use the drop-off points for free if you register your or your taxi’s number plate in advance. 

Reception areas for Special Assistance are located in the drop-off zones in both terminals. Here you can get help into the terminal and through check-in, if needed. If the desk is not staffed, there will be a telephone to speak to a member of staff and arrange assistance. Otherwise, you are free to make your own way into the terminal and request assistance later in your journey.

Blue Badge holders can be picked up from the drop-off zones. To keep traffic moving freely, please arrange for your vehicle to pick you up only once you reach the Special Assistance reception area.

We recommend all passengers make use of the car parks for pick up, as this can take longer than drop-off.

Short and Long-Stay Parking 

We have Blue Badge spaces across all our car parks and can support you with assistance getting to and from the terminal using any of the dedicated help points if required.

Travelling by train, bus, or coach 

If you are travelling to Gatwick Airport via Train, there is information on the National Rail website about how you can book assistance with your train journey. Our Special Assistance Team can then meet you, or you can make your own way to the reception desk for Special Assistance before security. If you are arriving at Gatwick and catching a train for your onward journey, our staff can also assist you to the train station. There is also detailed information on the accessibility of the station via AccessAble.

If you are arriving by coach or bus, all our stops have nearby help points which you can use to request assistance into the terminal. Keep in mind that some coach and bus stops are a 5-to-10-minute walk away from the terminal, especially in the North Terminal. If you are flying into Gatwick, our staff can also assist you to your bus or coach.

Not all coaches have wheelchair or step-free access, although most local buses and National Express coaches do. For National Express coaches, they have information on booking assisted travel and travelling with mobility aids and assistance dogs on their website here. Information on the accessibility of local buses, provided by Metrobus, is available on their website here.

Once inside the terminal you should check-in with your airline if you have not done so already. Please see the flight information screens displaying the name and logo of the airlines and the check-in zones for each airline.

If you need assistance with check-in, you can ask for help from your airline staff, or speak to our Special Assistance staff at any of our dedicated help points throughout the terminal.

All passengers travelling through the airport must go through security checks. Our security pages provide more information about what security involves.

Security can be busy which can be difficult for some passengers. Our Special Assistance team can accompany passengers through security and assist if needed.

Our dedicated Family and Assistance Lanes provide wider gates for wheelchair users and buggies, allow extra time for passengers who need it, and staff there are trained to take extra care of disabled passengers. You can use these lanes even if you are not being accompanied by Special Assistance staff.

Sometimes, when security is not too busy, these dedicated lanes are closed. In that case you can use the normal lanes and you will receive the same assistance.

Medicines and medical equipment

We recommend you take all your medication with you in your hand luggage to ensure that in the unlikely event there is any disruption to your flight, or your hold luggage is lost, you still have access to your medication. There are only a few exceptions where medical equipment must be in your hold luggage.

Medicines and medical equipment are likely to be subject to additional screening at security. More information about bringing medications and equipment through security is available on our Security pages here.

If you are taking medical equipment on board, you should inform the airline at least 48 hours in advance. This is because for some equipment you may be asked to fill out additional paperwork, or not be able to use them on the aircraft. For example, some insulin pumps have wireless functionality which cannot be used on some aircraft. Your airline will be able to advise you on this, as well as any additional support they can provide onboard like cold storage.

Security searches

Our body scanners are safe for all passengers, including those with medical implants and pacemakers, if you cannot go through the metal detector. Please let security staff know if you cannot use the metal detector.

In some cases, we must conduct hand searches. Please let our staff know if you need us to take extra care, for instance due to pain or medical equipment.

If you have a condition which means you are uncomfortable being searched in public, you have the right to request a manual search be carried out in a private area. This will be conducted with a witness, and you can also bring your own witness.

If you have a wheelchair, or other medical equipment which can’t pass through the x-ray, this will be swabbed by security staff. This is standard procedure for items which can’t be x-rayed and is nothing to worry about.

If our Special Assistance staff are showing you through security, they will normally take you to the Assistance Lounge which has dedicated seating for passengers requiring assistance and is where you will meet assistance to the gate. If you come through security independently, there will be signs at the exit that will direct you to the Dedicated Assistance Seating, bypassing World Duty Free. If you would like to go through World Duty Free and make your own way to the Special Assistance area, then you can find it:

• In the centre of the upper floor in the South Terminal (use the lifts or the escalators to the upper floor)
• On your left when you are facing towards the exit from World Duty Free in the North Terminal (in-between Boots, the toilets, and Wetherspoons)

If you have requested assistance, please make sure you check in at the assistance reception in these seating areas, as this is where you will meet Special Assistance staff to be taken to the gate for boarding.

You can choose to remain here until you are taken to the gate, or if you wish to explore the shops and restaurants in the departure lounge, we will give you a portable buzzer which will alert you when it is time to return for assistance to the gate.

When it is time to go to your gate, our staff will meet you in the Assistance Lounge. Passengers can be assisted from the Special Assistance waiting area in different ways - we can provide a walking escort, assistance with a wheelchair or we can assist using an electric buggy.

Usually, passengers receiving Special Assistance board first, although this varies from airline to airline. This means we will usually take you to the gate slightly early.

We may also depart for the gate earlier than the gate is announced. This is because we may need to take an alternative route, and our staff will need time to ensure that you and any mobility equipment you have with you is safely on-board the aircraft.

When you land, assisted passengers will be asked to remain seated until other passengers have disembarked. This allows you to leave the aircraft at your own pace, with as little or as much assistance as you need and means our staff can easily identify who requires assistance. This also creates space for equipment or transfers that may be required for wheelchair users.

Staff can assist you through passport control, baggage reclaim and all the way to your onward travel if needed. The staff that assist you from the aircraft may not always be who takes you all the way to your onward travel (if you require that assistance). Sometimes, passengers are taken to a seating area close to the gate where you will be met by a walking escort, wheelchair assistance, or an electric buggy.

Many of our flights use bridges instead of stairs to the aircraft door, so most passengers will be taken down the bridge. If the flight is at a gate using stairs, passengers who cannot use the stairs will be assisted using an Ambulift. This vehicle is secure and can be used to assist several passengers onto the aircraft. The rear section of the Ambulift can be elevated to meet the aircraft door, before being lowered to bring you to ground level, and vice versa. 

Passengers who cannot move independently around the aircraft will be assisted to their seat using an aisle chair. We also have an Eagle Hoist available for use, which allows you to be lifted from your wheelchair into an aircraft seat instead of being transferred by hand. This needs to book 24 hours in advance. To book the Eagle Hoist, please email lgweaglehoist@wilsonjames.co.uk with the following information:

• Customer name and contact details
• Date of travel and flight details
• Passenger’s height and approximate weight
• Have you used the service before? 

Once your booking is confirmed you will get an email confirmation.

Mobility aids and wheelchairs

If you are flying from Gatwick with your own mobility equipment, you can take it right up to the departure gate. Please make sure that your airline knows in advance that you are travelling with your own equipment, especially if you are travelling with a wheelchair or electric mobility aid, as there are questions they will have to ask to ensure safe carriage of your equipment.

If you are arriving at Gatwick, your mobility aid or wheelchair should be at the aircraft door as you disembark the aircraft. In some cases, you will be assisted to Baggage Reclaim to collect your equipment. We ensure that it is not placed on the luggage belt.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are the only dogs allowed into the terminal buildings. They must be notified with the airline at least 48 hours in advance so appropriate arrangements can be made for travel.

Our Special Assistance team can also assist you in the airport if you need it, and we can provide access to a spend area after security if needed.

On arrival into the UK, you will be met by Animal Air Care for Pet Travel Scheme checks. You can find details of how they process assistance dogs at Gatwick on their website here,

Guide Dogs provides more information on travelling with an assistance dog by air on their website here.

Accessible toilets and chancing places

Unisex accessible toilets are located at or near most toilet blocks. Occasionally the accessible toilet is located inside the men's or ladies' toilets. We have a mix of right- and left-hand transfer toilets. If you need a peninsular pan, we suggest using the Changing Places facilities.

We have two adult Changing Places located on the arrivals routes in both of our terminals. These facilities are available for all arriving passengers and include an adjustable bed that lowers to ground level, a hoist and flexible wash basins, within a large washroom with full shower facilities. Changing Places are free to use and do not need to be pre-booked.

For departing passengers, please speak to our Special Assistance team who can organise for you to be escorted to the Changing Places facilities. Please allow plenty of time to get there before your flight if you will need this.

Autistic spectrum disorder

The National Autistic Society contains helpful advice on what to do if you're travelling with children or adults with autism.

ADHD

If your child has ADHD then we recommend you take additional time to prepare them for the journey and bring lots of activities to keep them entertained at both the airport and on the flight. Both of our terminals have dedicated play areas for young children.

Dementia

Alzheimer's Society produces a useful factsheet with tips and advice about planning a holiday for people affected by dementia, including arranging travel insurance. We have been rolling out Dementia Friends to our front-line colleagues, so that they can recognise and offer more support to passengers and their travel companions. 

IBD

If you have Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis (the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) you may find the thought of travelling quite daunting. To help with any anxiety and make sure you have a more positive travel experience, Crohn’s and Colitis UK have put together a travel and IBD factsheet.