Gatwick a real alternative to Heathrow?

I have always thought of Gatwick as being difficult to get to and therefore not really an option when I need to fly somewhere.  This stemmed from a bad travel experience over 10 years ago when I needed to fly from Gatwick.  I have changed my mind since this afternoon.

I am currently in Barcelona on business.  Having just had a baby I have had to work my schedule such that I could perform as many homely tasks as possible prior to my departure so as to make the next three days as easy on my other half as possible.  I also wanted to spend some time with Baby prior to my departure to make up for my prolonged absence- my first since his birth seven months ago.  Thus, I chose a flight in the afternoon such that I would arrive in Barcelona just before dinner time and would, therefore, have plenty of time to settle in and relax prior to an early start to a hectic day tomorrow.  The only flight available at a reasonable price was from Gatwick so I decided to take it, having first checked that the journey to Gatwick wouldn't be too complicated and drawn out.  It isn't on paper or in practice: a short trip to London Bridge from Canary Wharf on the Jubilee line (c. 15 minutes), a short wait at the train station, and then a short train journey from London Bridge to Gatwick South (c. 20 minutes).  Escalators and lifts were available at the stations so there was not much luggage lugging involved and it was a very relaxed trip.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that it was much easier than a trip from Canary Wharf to Heathrow.  This makes Gatwick a very convenient option for us to travel from, especially considering that a lot of cheap flights for popular holiday destinations depart from Gatwick.  We used to drive to Gatwick to fly to Switzerland for our ski trips; I don't think the use of the car is justified in our case as the trip by public transport is so easy.  A really good route, so thanks are due to the planners who made the airport so accessible.