How Early Should You Leave for Heathrow, Gatwick & Stansted?

It’s one of the most common travel questions people ask, and one of the easiest to get wrong.

“How early should I leave for the airport?” doesn’t have a single answer. It depends on which airport you’re flying from, where you’re going, what time your flight departs, and how you’re getting there. In London especially, the journey to the airport often causes more stress than the airport itself.

This guide breaks down realistic departure timing for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, with clear guidance based on flight type, destination and travel conditions.

Before looking at each airport, it’s worth understanding the main factors that influence when you should leave home:

• Your destination (short-haul vs long-haul)
• Recommended arrival time set by your airline
• Time of day (rush hour vs early morning)
• Day of the week (weekdays vs weekends)
• How you’re travelling (road vs rail)
• Which terminal you’re using
• Whether you’re checking luggage or travelling hand-luggage only

In most cases, the biggest mistake travellers make is planning for ideal conditions rather than realistic ones.

Most airlines provide general guidance on when passengers should arrive at the airport:

• Short-haul flights (Europe, UK domestic):
  Most airlines recommend arriving around 2 hours before departure.
• Long-haul flights (USA, Middle East, Asia):
  Most airlines recommend arriving around 3 hours before departure.

These recommendations apply across Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, but how easy it is to meet them depends heavily on the airport and your route there.

This means your destination directly affects how early you should leave home, not just your departure time.

Heathrow is the UK’s largest and busiest airport, with multiple terminals spread across a wide area. Journey times can vary significantly depending on traffic and terminal access.

• Short-haul flights: Aim to arrive at Heathrow around 2 hours before departure
• Long-haul flights: Aim to arrive around 3 hours before departure

Most London travellers allow:

• 60–90 minutes of travel time to Heathrow
• Extra buffer during peak hours or early mornings

For example… If you have a 1:00pm long-haul flight, you’ll want to be at Heathrow by around 10:00am. If Google Maps shows a 50-minute door-to-door journey, experienced travellers would still plan to leave 30–45 minutes earlier than that estimate to account for traffic, incidents or delays around the airport. In this case, that means leaving home closer to 8:30–8:40am, rather than relying on the best-case travel time.

Leaving too late often means arriving flustered, even if you technically make it on time.

Heathrow is well connected, but road congestion is common, especially during weekday mornings.

Many travellers choose a pre-planned Private Heathrow transfer so departure time is fixed and adjusted for traffic conditions.

You can also explore lounge options in advance in our Heathrow lounge guide to make early arrivals more comfortable.

Gatwick sits further south of London and is more dependent on a single main road and rail corridor.

• Short-haul flights: Arrive around 2 hours before departure
• Long-haul flights: Arrive around 3 hours before departure

From most parts of London, travellers typically allow:

• 90 minutes to 2 hours of travel time
• Additional buffer for M23 traffic or rail disruption

For example, if you have a 12:00pm long-haul flight from Gatwick, you’ll want to arrive at the airport by around 9:00am. If Google Maps suggests a 1 hour 30 minute journey, it’s still wise to add an extra 30–45 minutes for motorway traffic, rail disruption or congestion near the terminals. In practice, that means leaving home around 7:00–7:15am, rather than relying on the fastest estimate.

Because Gatwick is further out, leaving late often leaves little room for recovery.

Gatwick is popular for early morning flights, when public transport options are limited.

A Gatwick private airport transfer removes the risk of missed connections, and arriving early gives you time to relax in one of Gatwick’s lounges, covered in our Gatwick lounge guide.

Stansted is the furthest of the three airports from central London and primarily serves short-haul flights.

• Most flights are short-haul, so airlines typically recommend arriving around 2 hours before departure

Because Stansted is further out:

• Travel times are longer
• Early departures are common
• Rail and road options are more limited

For example, if you’re flying on a 9:00am short-haul flight from Stansted, most airlines recommend arriving by around 7:00am. Even if Google Maps estimates a 1 hour 10 minute journey, adding an extra 30–45 minutes for traffic or limited early-morning transport is sensible. That brings your departure time closer to 5:45–6:00am to avoid unnecessary stress.

Stansted journeys often start very early, when availability of taxis or public transport can be unpredictable.

Planning a private Stansted transfer in advance gives you a fixed departure time and removes uncertainty at the start of the day.

Rail travel can be fast when everything runs perfectly, but disruption, maintenance and reduced early-morning services are common.

Road travel has its own challenges too, but it offers:

• Door-to-door journeys
• No platform changes
• Flexibility around luggage
• Fewer points of failure

This is why many travellers choose road transfers, especially when flying early, late or with checked luggage.

Flights departing before 7am or arriving late at night need extra planning.

Public transport options are limited, availability drops, and delays have a bigger impact. Most experienced travellers build in extra buffer time and avoid relying on last-minute transport.

This is where pre-planned journeys become particularly valuable.

While every journey is different, many travellers follow this general approach:

• Short-haul flight:
  Leave home early enough to arrive at least 2 hours before departure
• Long-haul flight:
  Leave home early enough to arrive at least 3 hours before departure

Check out your route and then add:

• Extra time for rush hour
• Extra buffer for Gatwick and Stansted
• Extra margin for early-morning or late-night flights

When in doubt, earlier is almost always calmer.

Most people allow enough time to arrive 2 hours before short-haul flights and 3 hours before long-haul flights, plus travel time and traffic buffer.

For short-haul flights, yes, but many travellers arrive earlier due to Gatwick’s distance from London.

Earlier than you think. Limited transport options mean planning well in advance is important.

Road travel offers more predictability, especially outside peak public transport hours.

Most airlines recommend arriving around 3 hours before long-haul international flights.

Most travel stress begins before you reach the airport. Planning when to leave, based on destination, airport and travel conditions, removes uncertainty and sets the tone for the rest of the trip.

Whether you’re flying short-haul or long-haul, the calmer the journey to the airport, the better the journey beyond it tends to be.

If you want your airport journey to feel as calm and predictable as the rest of your trip, booking a pre-planned airport transfer with a professional London chauffeur can remove a lot of the uncertainty before you even leave home.

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