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Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are gearing up for the busiest Christmas period yet as tens of millions of passengers take to the skies.
In the UK, carriers will fly 6.1mn seats between 20 December and 2 January, a 5 percent increase on the previous record set in 2019, according to Aviation data company Cirium.
The most popular international destinations from the UK are Amsterdam, Dublin, Geneva, Paris and Tenerife.
Across the Atlantic, a record 54mn passengers are estimated to fly on US carriers between December 19 and January 6, according to the trade group Airlines for America (A4A).
US airlines are offering 140,000 more seats each day than they did during the 2023 holiday season, A4A added. Orlando, Las Vegas, Cancún, Fort Lauderdale and Honolulu are among the popular destinations.
The record Christmas is the closing chapter of a busy year for airlines in the UK and US, and reflects steady demand for travel since the pandemic ended.
Airline executives believe customers are prioritizing vacations and traveling more than discretionary spending, even after several years of high inflation.
However, ticket prices have fallen in many key markets in 2024, and some airlines including Ryanair, Europe's largest, have reported. decrease in profits over the summer.
In the UK, passengers are increasingly choosing to travel on Christmas Day itself.
More than 800 flights are scheduled to take off from UK airports on Christmas Day this year, up five on 2019 and 47 per cent more than a decade ago.
Low-cost carrier easyJet and London Heathrow Airport are among the largest forecasting companies for the busy winter holiday season.
Sophie Dekkers, easyJet's chief commercial officer, said the carrier would fly 4.1 million customers on its European network during the peak Christmas and New Year period, with the busiest day expected to be December 27.
Paris, Geneva and Tenerife are some of the most popular destinations for Jet.
“The winter holidays are an important travel time of the year for millions of people,” he said.
Managers at Heathrow Airport will be hoping there will be no disruption to flights, after more than 100 were canceled over the weekend due to strong winds.
“Our focus remains on ensuring a smooth, enjoyable journey – whether it's helping passengers get away over Christmas to meet their loved ones, or ensuring luggage arrives on time at its destination,” Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said in a statement released to the organisation. weekend distraction.
In the US, United Airlines expects passenger numbers to rise 12 percent from last year to 9.9mn, and the busiest days will include Friday December 27 and Saturday December 28.
A strong end to the year comes as the world's airlines prepare for a record year in 2025.
The number of passengers is expected to reach 5.2bn in 2025, an increase of almost 7 percent compared to 2024, and for the first time the number of passengers exceeds the mark of 5bn, a global group. International Air Transport Association he said.
This figure represents a slower growth than the 10.7 percent achieved this year, with Willie Walsh, director-general of IATA, noting that the figures represent “a return to normal growth levels after an extraordinary pandemic recovery”.