Travellers face huge delays at major airports as travel firms warn around 5 million people are on the move over the winter break from Britain alone.
Peak travel days are expected to be December 20, 21 and 28 – with December 28 being the day when the early birds return and the late breakers leave, causing a double crush at many airports.
According to ABTA, the travel firm trade body, the trips are split between breaks in the winter sun and winter sports lovers off skiing or snowboarding.
Expats can brace for a crowd of visitors in the Canary Islands and Dubai, while other favourite sunshine destinations include Tunisia, Morocco, the Cape Verde Islands, Mexico, Cuba and Egypt.
Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy are the top winter sporting destinations, although some travellers are heading for resorts in the US and Canada.
Popular destinations
Expats living in Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin and Dublin can also expect crowds of holidaymakers.
In the UK, London and Edinburgh are the most popular winter holiday destinations – together with Llandudno, Torquay and Brighton.
The main crush will be at major airports and on the Eurostar train service.
Almost 2 million travellers are expected to depart from Heathrow, another 800,000 from Gatwick and another 1.2 million or so from Manchester, Birmingham and other leading regional airports.
Around 250,000 passengers are letting the train take the strain through the Channel Tunnel. Most are heading for the Disney resort at Paris or the Alps for skiing.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has few new travel warnings – those in force relate mainly to dangers from the Ebola virus in West Africa and terror alerts in Pakistan following the Peshawar massacre of school children.
SpiceJet grounds flights
SpiceJet, the fourth largest airline in India, has cancelled around 500 flights in the past few days and travellers should expect delays. Many passengers have jumped flights to other airlines.
India’s civil aviation authority suggests passengers should check the SpiceJet web site for updates.
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “Christmas and New Year are traditionally busy times for the travel industry as millions take advantage of the break to go on holiday or visit friends and family.
“This year looks to be one of the busiest on record, especially with warmer than usual weather at home and abroad.
“Travellers should not forget road and rail repairs are often carried out over this period that can add delays to journeys.”
