Terminal SOUTH hosts 6 airlines. You'll find 4 dining options, 4 lounges here.
BA check-in sits on the far left of South
BA flyers hit the far-left Zone A/C check-in area as soon as they walk into Gatwick South from the main forecourt, with other South Terminal airlines like Wizz Air, Vueling, TAP Air Portugal, TUI and assorted charter carriers spread across the rest of the hall. The BA counters anchor that left side, so if your boarding pass shows those zones, don’t bother crossing the whole floor first.
Security in South Terminal sits one level up from the main check-in floor, on the train-station side of the building, so the walk from Gatwick rail platforms to the screening point is basically straight ahead and then up. If you’re arriving on the train, keep following the “Departures” signs and aim slightly to the right once you hit the main hall; you’re heading for the escalators that run up to security rather than the central bank of check-in islands.
If you already checked in online and only have hand luggage, FlyerTalk regulars say you can skip the main floor entirely and go directly upstairs to security from the station side. That back-door feel saves you the slow zigzag past every airline desk and can easily shave 5–10 minutes off a busy morning. The logic: bags go to the counters in the middle, people with only a backpack go straight up.
British Airways is the headline carrier here, but South also handles Wizz Air and Vueling to Europe, TAP Air Portugal for Lisbon connections, and TUI plus other charters for leisure routes. If your email just says “London Gatwick” and doesn’t name a side, check the small print: many package and charter flights still use South, while several low-cost operators sit in North.
Once you clear the single main security checkpoint in South, you feed into the standard Gatwick departures route: duty free first, then the general departures lounge, then piers split by gate ranges. Gates can show up to 25 minutes’ walk once they post on the boards, so don’t leave the central area at T‑0; start moving as soon as a specific number shows on the FIDS screens.
Regular BA users talk about a simple pattern here: walk in, bear left for Zone A/C, then head straight upstairs to security as soon as bags are sorted. That rhythm works just as well for early 06:00–08:00 waves as for evening short-hauls, and it keeps you out of the crowded middle of the hall where every airline queue seems to merge into one.
Practical tip: if you’re coming off the Gatwick Express or Thameslink and already hold a mobile boarding pass, stay on the station side, skip the check-in islands, and go straight up the nearest escalator to security; it’s the fastest way into South’s airside area during the morning rush.