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Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are preparing for their busiest Christmas season, as tens of millions of passengers take to the skies.
In the UK, airlines will move 6.1 million seats between December 20 and January 2, an increase of 5 percent on the previous record set in 2019, according to aviation data company Cirium.
The most popular international destinations for departures in the UK are Amsterdam, Dublin, Geneva, Paris and Tenerife.
Across the Atlantic, a record 54 million passengers are expected to travel on US airlines from December 19 to January 6, according to Airlines for America (A4A).
A4A added that US airlines are offering 140,000 more seats per day than during the 2023 holiday period. Orlando, Las Vegas, Cancun, Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu are among the popular destinations.
The record Christmas is the final chapter in a busy year for airlines in the UK and US, and reflects continued strong demand for travel since the pandemic ended.
Airlines bosses believe consumers are prioritizing holidays and travel over other discretionary spending, even after several years of high inflation.
However, ticket prices fell in several leading markets in 2024, and some airlines including Ryanair, Europe's largest, reported… Decrease in profit During the summer.
In the UK, passengers are increasingly choosing to travel on Christmas Day itself.
More than 800 flights are set to depart UK airports on Christmas Day this year, a fifth more than in 2019 and 47 per cent more than a decade ago.
Low cost airline easyJet and London Heathrow Airport is among the major companies forecasting the busiest winter holiday season.
EasyJet chief commercial officer Sophie Dekkers said the airline would fly 4.1 million customers across its European network during the peak Christmas and New Year period, with its busiest day expected to be December 27.
Paris, Geneva and Tenerife are among easyJet's most popular destinations.
“Winter break is an important time to travel for millions of people,” she said.
Heathrow Airport executives are hoping there will be no further flight disruptions, after more than 100 flights were canceled over the weekend due to high winds.
Thomas Woldby, chief executive of Heathrow Airport, said in a statement issued ahead of the conference: “Our focus remains on ensuring smooth and enjoyable journeys – whether that is helping passengers get away for Christmas to reunite with loved ones, or ensuring that cargo reaches its destination on time.” “Determined.” Weekend disruption.
In the United States, United Airlines expects the number of passengers to rise by 12 percent over last year to 9.9 million, and its busiest days will be Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28.
The strong end to the year comes as global airlines prepare for a record year in 2025.
Passenger numbers are expected to reach 5.2 billion in 2025, up nearly 7 percent from 2024, and the first time passenger numbers have surpassed the 5 billion mark, according to the global lobby group. International Air Transport Association He said.
This figure represents slower growth than the 10.7 percent achieved this year, with Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association, noting that the numbers represent “a return to more normal levels of growth after the exceptional recovery from the pandemic.”
