Airports and roads coping

[December 24th 2008]

There are no major delays at airports or on the roads this morning to disrupt the last minute Christmas getaway.

Flights from the UK’s major airports are running more or less on time, although airports including Heathrow and Gatwick are busy as people fly away for Christmas with friends and family or a winter sun or skiing holiday.

Due to the severe weather in the US, where there has even been snow in Las Vegas, there are some delays on flights from destinations including New York and Chicago. Airport operator BAA has the latest flight information for each of its seven UK airports.

Passengers are advised to leave plenty of time to travel to the airport. They are also being reminded not to wrap presents as both hold and hand luggage may need to be searched. Homemade jams and chutneys need to be within the 100ml limit that applies to all liquids, and bottles of wine or champagne should be packed in hold luggage.

BAA security director Ian Hutcheson says: “We want to ensure the security process is as efficient as possible, and so we’re advising passengers to check the hand baggage restrictions before they come to the airport. It would be a shame if a carefully chosen gift had to be left behind.

The only train services running on Christmas Day in the UK will be the Heathrow Express and Gatwick Express. However, on the Heathrow Express a replacement bus service will run between London Paddington and Heathrow Central Bus Station. The journey time will be around 45 minutes. Trains will run between Heathrow Central (for Terminals 1, 2 & 3) and Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 only.

On the Gatwick Express on Christmas Day there will be a replacement bus service to London Victoria running a half hourly service between 6am and 5pm.

On one of the busiest days expected at the airports, Saturday December 27th, passengers flying with easyJet from Gatwick airport are advised that some flights will operate from the South Terminal and not the North Terminal as usual. The flights affected include services to Malaga, Lanzarote, Tenerife and Palma, Majorca.

The Highways Agency is not reporting any major delays on the roads this morning. Roadworks remain in place at 28 locations around the country, but 30 sets of roadworks have been suspended over the Christmas and New Year period.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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