BA Gatwick versus BA Heathrow: the two bases compared by someone who has done both, for applicants who get to choose
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#1 BA Gatwick now, Heathrow for three years before, and applicants sometimes get asked which base they would accept and do not know what they are choosing between. Here it is.
Heathrow
The main hub. The whole long haul network: Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Australia via Singapore. Short haul to all of Europe. The biggest crew community in the airline by a distance. The A380, the 777, the 787, the A350, the A320 family. Bidding in a large pool, which means new joiners get what is left for longer. Rent near Heathrow: high, and the areas are not glamorous. Commute from town: the Piccadilly line at 4:30am is a specific experience.
Gatwick
The leisure long haul base: the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico, some Indian Ocean and Africa, plus a big short haul European operation. A smaller crew community that knows each other. The 777 and the A320 family, mostly. Bidding in a smaller pool, which means your preferences land sooner. Rent in Sussex and Kent: lower, and the areas are nicer. Commute from Brighton or the villages: a train that works.
The flying, honestly
Heathrow long haul is business travellers and the world's cities. Gatwick long haul is families and the world's beaches. The Caribbean pattern (out, 24 to 48 hours, back) is gentler on the body than a Tokyo swing. The passengers are different: Gatwick's are on holiday, which is lovely on the way out and difficult on the way back. Heathrow's are working, which is calmer and colder.
Money
Same contract, same rates. The allowances differ by destination and Heathrow's destinations pay more in allowance terms. Gatwick's rent is lower. Over a year, the Gatwick crew member who lives in Sussex and the Heathrow crew member who lives in Hounslow end up in a similar place, with the Gatwick one having seen more beaches.
Who should choose which
Heathrow if you want the whole world, the big crew community, and the A380, and you can handle the rent and the 4:30 Piccadilly. Gatwick if you want a life in the south east outside London, a calmer body, and the Caribbean, and you do not need Tokyo.
I moved to Gatwick for the second reason and I have not regretted it. Gavin stayed at Heathrow for the first and he has not either. Both are BA. Choose the base, not just the airline.
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#2 Heathrow, and Eleanor's comparison is fair and complete. The 4:30 Piccadilly is real. The A380 is worth it. Applicants: the base question at the assessment is a real question and this is the answer key.
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#3 Heathrow, three years, and the 'new joiners get what is left for longer' point at Heathrow is exact. A friend at Gatwick with the same joining date is getting her first choices already. Smaller pool. Faster bids.
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#4 Heathrow, and I want to add that the Heathrow crew community is enormous and the Gatwick one is a village, and which one suits you is a personality question, not a career one. I like the anonymity. Eleanor likes the village.
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#6 Manchester, aspiring, and I had not understood that the base choice was this different. Gatwick from the north is the same crash pad problem as Heathrow though, I assume.
