Travel over the Christmas and New Year period is typically acutely busy – more than 6.1m airline seats are scheduled to depart the UK between Friday and 2 January, according to aviation analyst Cirium. With winter weather thrown into the mix, travel can be problematic, too.
The busiest travel day is expected to be Friday 20 December for many modes of transport – and travellers are being urged to prepare for their journey in advance.
On Wednesday, disgruntled passengers took to social media to complain about long queues and security delays at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal. They claimed that staff were unable to provide information on how long the hold-ups would continue, while others said they were told the delays were caused by an increase in volume of people.
In response, a spokesperson for the airport told The i Paper: “We have seen some intermittent queues for airport security in the North Terminal. The queues are moving and we are not aware of anyone missing flights.”
The airport is advising passengers to arrive “as normal” – three hours before departure for a long-haul flight and two hours before a short-haul journey, to “help things run efficiently”. Airport infrastructure is built according to capacity – if too many passengers arrive too early, queues can quickly back up at peak times.
Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport is expecting its busiest December on record, with the number of passengers travelling through the hub on Christmas Day 21 per cent higher than in 2023. Last month, more than 6.5m passengers travelled through the London hub, with Friday 20 December expected to be the busiest day this month.
Cirium predicts that Friday 20 December will also be the busiest days for Luton and Newcastle airports, while at Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham and Bristol, Sunday 22 December will be the busiest. For Edinburgh airport, the busiest day will be Friday 27 December.
Across the country, airports are expecting high passenger numbers from Friday 20 December until 2 January, with half a million set to depart from Stansted and Manchester, 400,000 from Luton, 200,000 from Birmingham and 175,000 from Bristol, according to Abta, the Travel Association.
On trains, hundreds of thousands of passengers are expected to be travelling on Eurostar to the Continent over the Christmas period. A spokesperson for the cross-Channel operator said, “our timetable will run as normal. The only exception is Christmas Day on which our trains won’t run (as per usual)”. It will resume regular services from London St Pancras to Paris and Brussels on Boxing Day.
On 21 December last year, about 25,000 Eurostar passengers saw their trains cancelled after the England to France tunnel was closed due to a walk-out by French staff. However, no industrial action is planned this year.
With peak travel days imminent, here’s what to know in advance to prepare for a stress-free departure.
Trains – check before you travel
On Christmas Eve, trains stop running earlier than usual, with the last leaving London Kings Cross for Edinburgh at 5.30pm and London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly at 5.55pm. Check the National Rail website for the last departure times. Services will not resume until Boxing Day, when many timetables will be severely reduced.
On 26 December, trains between London Victoria, Gatwick and Brighton will run a reduced hourly service and there will be no Heathrow Express between Christmas Day and Sunday 29 December.
From 27 December, there will be disruption and scheduled engineering works across the country’s rail networks, including Thameslink, South Western Railway and several operators travelling through Crewe. Avanti West Coast will be affected by RMT industrial action on 31 December and 2 January, with engineering works taking place on 1 January. Check here for updates.
How to handle delays and cancellations at Christmas
While National Rail offers the Delay Repay service, which sees passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more receive automatic compensation, flight cancellations and delays can be more complicated.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is urging travellers to be aware of their consumer rights in the event of festive disruptions.
Airlines have a legal obligation to look after delayed passengers, which means they should provide food, drinks and overnight accommodation if required, depending on the length of the delay. For more information, see caa.co.uk/passengers-and-public/before-you-fly/know-before-you-go.
If staff can’t help, passengers should keep receipts for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and submit a claim to their airline.
“While the industry is dedicated to ensuring smooth journeys, we strongly encourage passengers to familiarise themselves with their rights before heading to the airport, so they feel confident and well-prepared to address any unexpected challenges,” says Selina Chadha, CAA director of the consumer and markets group.
Kelly Cookes, chief commercial officer of The Advantage Travel Partnership, also urges passengers to plan at this busy time of year: “With airports getting busier, pre-book taxi transfers as the availability will decrease nearer to the time of travel.
“Simple things such as checking the weather ahead of departure is crucial, as adverse conditions can significantly impact traffic and travel times, so can help you create alternative arrangements where needed.”
“If you’re relying on public transport, stay flexible and have a backup plan in case of delays,” she added.
Cookes also advises to limit luggage to carry-on if possible, and to use mobile boarding passes, which can help save time by skipping airport check-in desks.
She also suggests considering “pre-booking fast-track services and airport lounges for a more relaxed experience before departure”, as well as wrapping Christmas presents when you arrive at your destination “as security may ask you to unwrap them” at the airport.
Christina Brazier, Head of Industry Affairs for The Specialist Travel Association, adds: “Check you have all essential travel documents, including a valid passport, boarding pass/tickets, travel insurance and any visas, if required,” adding that hand luggage restrictions should also be checked in advance to avoid delays at security.
She also suggests allowing extra time for the journey to the airport, as well as factoring in the time it will take to get through check-in and security. Real time information on security times is available on some airport websites.
Know your flight cancellation and compensation rights
If your flight is delayed by more than five hours, you are within your rights to cancel and request a refund or to be re-routed.
If your flight is fully cancelled, the airline must provide you with a refund within seven days or offer you an alternative service on the same route, which can be made with a rival carrier. Alternatively, you can book a replacement flight and claim back the cost from the airline.
Passengers both travelling on flights with UK or EU-based airlines or arriving, or departing from the UK or within the EU, can claim compensation for delays of more than three hours, based on the arrival time – but there is a slight catch here.
If the delay is due to an “extraordinary circumstance” – such as adverse weather conditions or industrial action by Border Force – it may be harder to get payment, so check the circumstances before claiming.
Don’t arrive at the airport too late – or too early
If you’re a frequent traveller, you may be tempted to spend as little time at the airport as possible. However, at busy times it’s worth allowing adequate time to get through security and to get to your gate – sometimes this can be a walk of up to 10 minutes from the main departure area.
Some UK airports’ websites show an estimated security waiting time, and others on their social media feeds, too.
However, it’s not worth arriving hours early at the airport to ensure you get through security in good time, since this can create a log-jam.
Keep up to date
Many airlines keep passengers informed about disruptions via text, email or their app. Turning app notifications on can help keep you informed of last-minute changes.
Flight tracking websites and apps, such as FlightAware, Flightradar24, Radarbox.com and Planefinder.net can also help with checking the status of your flight.
Flightradar24 suggests checking for potential disruptions a few days before departure, using the flight number and viewing past flight history to see if a flight is consistently delayed or generally arrives on time.
While Christmas can be a stressful time for travelling, Kelly Cookes believes it can be one of the most rewarding: “Our top tip is, if you can, travel on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, as it is often much quieter and sometimes cheaper.”
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