- Gatwick achieves record moving annual passenger numbers of 36.5 million – with 20% of passengers now travelling on business
- Gatwick flies to more destinations than any other London airport – including 46 of the top 50 European business cities
- Savvy business travellers are choosing Gatwick for its time-saving office to plane door journey and transformed facilities
LONDON, 2014-6-13 — /Travel PR News/ — London Gatwick and easyJet are today joining forces to showcase the exceptional experience, facilities and products they have to offer business passengers, as well as their visions for the future of corporate travel.
Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate joined easyJet CEO Carolyn McCall to welcome members of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives to ‘The London Gatwick Experience’ on the same day that the airport announced its moving annual passenger total now stands at 36.5 million – a record for Gatwick.
Stewart Wingate, CEO of London Gatwick, said: “Gatwick has rapidly established itself as the smart choice for business passengers thanks to its extensive route network, proximity to London’s major business districts, quick airport journey time and business facilities.
“The airport has invested more than £1 billion in the past four years transforming its facilities and has focused on enhancing the experience of specific traveller groups – particularly business passengers. One in five passengers using the airport are now travelling on business.”
easyJet, the UK and Gatwick’s largest airline, carried 12 million business travellers last year – a 44% increase since 2010 – and offers a number of products designed specifically for business passengers including Flexi Fares and fast track check-in and security.
Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet, said: ”easyJet has substantially increased the number of business passengers flying with us in recent years – we now carry over 12 million a year, a 44% increase in the last four years.
“Our research has shown that 95% of business passengers sampling easyJet for the first time say they will fly with us again.
“Gatwick Airport has been a real driver of this increase and more than two million business travellers fly with us to and from the airport each year and that number has increased by nine per cent in the last year alone.
“easyJet’s winning combination of the most comprehensive network of business destinations coupled with our famous low fares and friendly service means that we will continue to be well positioned to take further market share in the future.”
Gatwick’s business travel credentials
The smart choice
- 200+ destinations including 46 of the top 50 European business routes and over 40 long haul routes
- Links to high growth markets including China, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Indonesia
- Transatlantic services to North America with the most competitive fares
- From premium to cost conscious, Gatwick is the only airport which can cater for all types of business traveller
Well connected
- Fastest rail connections to Canary Wharf, the City and the Shard
- Under 30 minutes to Victoria and London Bridge
- 129 direct rail connections across the South East
- Short stay and valet parking two minutes’ walk from each terminal
- New Thameslink Franchise will deliver new Gatwick Express carriages designed for air travellers by 2016 and double rail capacity by 2018. Direct services will be available to 175 stations from Gatwick including Cambridge and Peterborough, and to 1,000 with a single change.
Time is money
- Self-check in and bag drop gets travellers to security more quickly
- Passengers pass through security in under 5 minutes, 95% of the time
- Gatwick website gives real time flight and gate info, as well as responsive maps of the airport, allowing travellers to head straight to the plane
- World’s most efficient runway means aircraft spend less time on the ground
Business sense
- Premium and valet parking, plus limo drop offs
- Premium security lanes
- 45 minutes free Wi-Fi and 4G across the airport
- Work zones and internet stations across the terminals
- Airline lounges and pay-as-you-go No 1. Traveller Lounge with essential business facilities such as video conference, meeting rooms, computers, printers
Notes to Editors
For more information on Gatwick’s May traffic figures please click here.
For more information contact:
Gatwick Airport press office
t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 35 million passengers a year on short and long-haul services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
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Stewart Wingate and Carolyn McCall at London Gatwick