Getting to the airport is rarely a stress-free experience. For as long as air travel has existed, we’ve all abided by an unwritten rule: arrive two to three hours before your flight. It’s a guideline no one explicitly taught us, but one we all seem to instinctively follow.
Yet, each time I arrive at the airport, I find I have too much time to waste, especially when I have no interest in wandering through the duty-free shops. It’s a difficult judgement to make however, especially given the huge queues which have become a feature of air travel in airports such as Birmingham and Manchester post-Covid lockdowns.
London City is an intriguing airport. It is one of the smaller in the UK and it boldly claims that travellers can get from its front doors to their departure gate in just 30 minutes.
To me, half an hour sounded ambitious, especially when you consider the number of steps involved: dropping off your bag, going through security, and navigating your way to the gate. To put this promise to the test, I decided to see if I could get to my gate in under 30 minutes.
London City Airport is not as bustling as Heathrow or Gatwick. It also seems to appeal to families less, likely due to its focus on business travel. This immediately worked in my favour; the bag drop process was quick.
From the moment I stepped through the glass doors, I was on a steady conveyor belt of airport checkpoints. I stopped only briefly to print a label for my suitcase and even when my tray was flagged for an additional check — thanks to a Polaroid camera — it only added a couple of minutes to my journey. Overall, the process was far smoother than I’d anticipated.
Leaving security, I found myself immediately amidst the airport’s duty-free shops. I quickly glanced at the departures board, revealing that my gate wouldn’t be announced for another 20 minutes. So, I paused my timer and browsed the nearby bookshop to pass the time.
When I returned to the same spot, the screen displayed my gate number. Restarting my timer, I made my way toward the gate.
The walk to my gate was short and straightforward, taking no more than five minutes. When I stopped my timer, it read 16 minutes and 42 seconds. Even with minor delays at bag drop and security, I had managed to breeze through the airport in under 30 minutes — a result I found impressive.
While it’s worth noting that London City Airport is quieter than its larger counterparts across the capital and I was travelling solo, this experience significantly changed my perspective. It alleviated the stress of needing to arrive hours in advance.
For future trips from London City Airport, I’ll feel more relaxed about timing my arrival and may even push the time I get to the airport back. The airport’s compact design and efficiency made for a remarkably smooth journey, proving that their 30-minute claim is entirely achievable.
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