Thameslink to Gatwick, via the Luton DARTorNational Express coach to Stansted?

Thameslink · Thameslink and Luton DARTThameslink to Gatwick, via the Luton DART

From

Luton DART from the terminal to Luton Airport Parkway, four minutes; the trains leave from the main-line platforms

To

Gatwick Airport station, beside the South Terminal, on one direct train

Luggage

Racks by the doors and overhead; the DART is built for suitcases.

Journey

82–110 min

The £4.90 DART is easy to pay twice or forget once. Touching in at Parkway does not cover it, and a ticket to "Luton" does not either; only a ticket to "Luton Airport" has it inside.

The train is the same one that crosses central London, stopping at St Pancras, Blackfriars and London Bridge, so it takes 78 minutes by day and 87 to 110 at night, plus the DART.

Trains run through the night on a reduced service, hourly through the small hours on a weekday night, and the DART runs around the clock. On a night or a Sunday with engineering work the ride can need a bus: check the day you travel.

The coach is cheaper, from £21.50 against £24.00 here, but takes about an hour longer.

Thameslink to Gatwick, via the Luton DART: price for every party size

National Express · National ExpressNational Express coach to Stansted

From

Airport bus station, stands N, P or Q, outside the terminal

To

Stansted coach station, a two-minute walk from the terminal

Luggage

One large suitcase or two medium cases and one soft hand bag per person.

Runs

02:55–21:05

Journey

97–117 min

The coach calls at Hatfield, Hertford and Harlow on the way, which is why the ride is about an hour and 40 minutes where the distance is 86 km. National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight.

Change & Go, £5 each way, lets you take any coach within twelve hours either side of the one you booked.

National Express coach to Stansted: price for every party size