Surge in UK domestic flight bookings for the Christmas bubble period

Airlines have seen a surge in UK domestic flight bookings for the Christmas bubble period, new figures reveal, as the industry has said it is ready to lay on extra flights to take pressure off the railways. Demand for internal domestic flights has more than doubled for the days either side of Christmas Day and Boxing Day compared to booking numbers for early December, data from the IATA has shown. The numbers come as Government guidance means that all Christmas journeys have to be completed within the five days from December 23 to December 27 when up to three households will be allowed to mix. The narrow window is expected to put huge pressure on rail and road networks as journeys that traditionally take place over the festive and New Year’s fortnight are condensed into just five days. Last week, ministers announced they are laying on extra trains and carriages as well as clearing more than 770 miles of road works to ease congestion over the holiday period. However, data for early bookings for internal flights showed people were also turning to the skies to make their Christmas getaway. IATA figures show that bookings in early December were only at around 19% of numbers for the same period in 2019. However, on December 23 and Christmas Eve demand had shot up to 49% and 43% respectively of bookings for the same period last year.<br/>