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Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are gearing up for their busiest Christmas season yet with millions of passengers taking to the skies
In the UK, carriers will fly 6.1 million seats between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2, a 5 percent increase over the previous record set in 2019, according to aviation data company Cerium.
The most popular international destinations for UK departures are Amsterdam, Dublin, Geneva, Paris and Tenerife.
Across the Atlantic, US carriers are forecast to fly a record 54 million passengers between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6, according to trade group Airlines for America (A4A).
U.S. airlines are offering 140,000 more seats per day than in the 2023 holiday season, A4A added. Popular destinations include Orlando, Las Vegas, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu.
The record Christmas marks the end chapter of a busy year for airlines in the UK and US and reflects sustained strong demand for travel since the end of the pandemic.
Airline bosses believe consumers are prioritizing vacations and travel over other discretionary spending, even after years of high inflation.
Nevertheless, ticket prices have fallen in many leading markets in 2024 and some airlines, including Europe’s largest Ryanair, have reported decrease in profits over the summer
In the UK, travelers are also choosing to travel on Christmas Day itself.
More than 800 flights will depart UK airports on Christmas Day this year, a fifth in 2019 and 47 per cent more than a decade ago.
Low-cost carriers EasyJet and London Heathrow Airport One of the major companies to predict their busiest winter holiday season.
Sophie Dekkers, easyJet’s chief commercial officer, said December 27 is expected to be the busiest day during the Christmas and New Year period, with the carrier carrying 4.1 million customers across its European network.
Paris, Geneva and Tenerife are among EasyJet’s most popular destinations.
“The winter holidays are an important time of year for millions of people to travel,” he said.
Executives at Heathrow Airport are hoping for no further disruption to flights, after more than 100 cancellations over the weekend due to high winds.
“Our focus is on ensuring smooth, enjoyable journeys – whether it’s helping passengers get away for Christmas to reunite with loved ones or helping cargo reach its destination on time,” Heathrow chief executive Thomas Oldby said in a statement. Weekend disruption.
In the US, United Airlines expects passenger numbers to rise 12 percent to 9.9 million over last year, and its busiest days will include Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28.
The year ended strong as airlines worldwide prepare for a record year in 2025.
The number of passengers is expected to reach 5.2 billion in 2025, up nearly 7 percent from 2024 and surpassing 5 billion for the first time, according to the global lobby group. International Air Transport Association said
The figure represents slower growth than the 10.7 percent achieved this year, with IAT director-general Willie Walsh noting that the figures represent “a return to more normal growth levels after the extraordinary pandemic recovery”.
