Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are gearing up for a record-breaking Christmas season as millions of passengers take to the skies. Increased demand for travel since the pandemic, combined with holiday cheer, is driving a surge in bookings.
Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are preparing for their busiest Christmas season as tens of millions of passengers travel by air. In the UK, airlines will offer 6.1 million seats between December 20 and January 2, a 5 percent increase compared to the previous record set in 2019, according to aviation data company Cirium. The most popular international destinations for departures from the UK are Amsterdam, Dublin, Geneva, Paris and Tenerife.
Across the Atlantic, a record 54 million passengers are projected to fly on US carriers between December 19 and January 6, according to the trade group Airlines for America (A4A). US airlines are providing 140,000 more seats each day than during the 2023 holiday period, A4A added. Popular destinations include Orlando, Las Vegas, Cancún, Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu. This record Christmas marks the end of a busy year for airlines in the UK and US, reflecting the sustained strong demand for travel since the end of the pandemic. Airline executives believe consumers are prioritizing holidays and travel over other discretionary spending, even after several years of high inflation. However, ticket prices have fallen in many major markets in 2024, and some airlines, including Ryanair, Europe's largest, reported a decline in profits over the summer. In the UK, passengers are also increasingly choosing to travel on Christmas Day itself. More than 800 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports on Christmas Day this year, a fifth increase compared to 2019 and 47 percent more than a decade ago. Low-cost carrier easyJet and London's Heathrow airport are among the major companies forecasting their busiest winter holiday season. Sophie Dekkers, easyJet's chief commercial officer, said the carrier will fly 4.1 million customers across its European network during the peak Christmas and New Year period, with its busiest day expected on December 27. Paris, Geneva and Tenerife are among easyJet's most popular destinations
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