For many Brits, Christmas is a celebration of the world’s most famous bearded gentlemen, Jesus and Santa Claus, and an excuse to escape the country by any means necessary. It should come as no surprise then that London Luton Airport is expecting thousands of people to arrive at the Bedfordshire hub over the festive season, clutching tickets to more than 90 destinations.
How will airlines deal with the Luton Christmas rush?
easyJet and Hungarian carrier Wizz Air will provide the majority of Luton Airport’s winter schedule, closely followed by Thomson, Ryanair and veteran British carrier Monarch.
Wizz Air, one of the largest providers of routes to Eastern Europe from the UK, is selling tickets for Varna and Bourgas in Bulgaria, Zagreb in Croatia and the relatively unknown locations Cluj-Napoca and Târgu Mureş in Romania. EasyJet, known for its close relationship with Luton, is offering routes to Amsterdam and Barcelona, as well as ‘sun and sea’ destinations in Egypt and Cyprus.
“The vast range of destinations from London Luton Airport means we can meet the demands of the travelling public and help them to enjoy a fantastic festive season,” Simon Harley, airline manager at Luton, explained.
Bosses say that 500,000 people could pass through the airport’s security gates during December and January, with winter ski routes expected to sell just as quickly as flights to coastal resorts in the Mediterranean.
Geneva, for example, is one of the most popular winter routes from Luton, suggesting that a few hardy Brits can’t get enough of freezing winds, snow and sub-zero temperatures.
However, the festive season has some unique security rules that may take people by surprise. Wrapped presents will be opened by border guards, ruining all your hard work, and Christmas crackers are forbidden on all the aforementioned airlines, barring easyJet.
Merry Christmas everyone!
