The Red Lion (JD Wetherspoon), Crawley

This is a Wetherspoons pub located airside in Gatwick Airport's North Terminal. Like most of Wetherspoons' airport venues, this place has an open plan feel, with blurred boundaries that result in people spreading out beyond the confines of the bar area and generally getting in everyone's way. The pub has been given a bright, modern café style look, with distressed floorboards through most of the bar area which also appear on the bar counter and some of the walls. The servery is to the rear, with a high windowed bar back with white tiles above and a large shelving system which holds various seemingly random glass, pottery and copper artefacts. The seating in the main bar area is predominantly high padded metal stools around small high tables, although some short padded bench booths can be found around parts of the perimeter. There is a large LED light display above the entrance that certainly makes the pub easy to spot from across the terminal building and should the bar area get too cramped, there is an overspill area across the walkway out front, which has some comfier seating and a few potted plants to liven things up a little. I never really expect much when drinking in an airport bar, but I do expect some degree of competence from the staff, so it was a shame to see utter chaos at the bar, with staff selecting customers at random and an impromptu queue system forming at one end, provoking arguments between clued up pub goers and bemused travellers. I somehow managed to get served in amongst all this madness, but I was treated to an almost comical go-slow performance from the barmaid and easily the grumpiest service I've seen this year. I came away with a half of the Brewster's Et Citra Et Citra which was flat and slightly hazy but the prospect of having to head back to the bar was too much to bear, so I quietly struggled through it, cheering myself up with thoughts of my impending holiday. A really dire experience then, and one which really didn't need to be so bad. The bar area is actually quite nicely set out and looks a lot better than many other airport bars I've found myself in, but the poor beer and staff attitude is unacceptable and if this is the best Wetherspoons can come up with, I'd rather go without the traditional 'last pint of ale' before flying out of here in the future.

This pub is for airline passengers only.

An over-busy, under-staffed airport bar in the Departures Lounge with a non-ale serving annex at Gate 105. It's garish and bright, but there is a window where you can sit and watch the runway, and there is a flightboard in the bar. Four handpumps on the bar, but only two ales on and the staff didn't understand the idea of turning or removing the clips. I opted for a pint of Hobgoblin which was much too cold, well past its best and frankly not enjoyable. Have your FILO pint landside before flying, and avoid the cooked breakfast if you don't like poorly prepared food.

This one is easy to find – it’s on the same level as you exit the security area. Look over to the right and the red neon “Red Lion” sign gives a big clue as to where it is. When I was in there the other day there were four ales on, with nothing to get too excited about. I recall there being London Pride, Abbot and a couple of others. This is a smallish bar on the side of the building thus affording some views over the airport. There really is nothing special about it, except that it is the best bet if airside at Gatwick North to get a decent pint. I’m sure that I’ll end up back in here at some time.

I remember this as one of the better small airport JDWs, although they do seem to have hiked up their airport prices since I last went to one. It offers four ales plus the usual other selection. Yesterday, however, I was served an undrinkable pint of Spitfire, and on taking it back was told that the Pride and Red Lion Ale were both off, leaving me with no choice but Abbot. This didn't strike me as a great choice, particularly given that on hearing I was not happy with the beer, the chap next to me had just asked if I was on the Abbot, as he was nursing a bad pint of that. I did risk an Abbot, and as it was drinkable but not great, on balance am just about glad I did that rather than asking for a refund, but that might have more to do with it being my last chance to have a real ale for a week than anything else. The staff didn't particularly seem to care much about the place either. I do hope yesterday's experience was an aberration and not now the norm.

Official page of the Red Lion - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk

Official page of the Red Lion - www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk