Airport delays 'put off families'

Recent media reports about long delays at many of the UK's airports could put people with young children off travelling abroad, an industry expert has said.

The editor of raisingkids.co.uk, Catherine Hanly, said that this was likely to dissuade families with young children from planning foreign holidays.

She added that low-cost flights had helped make foreign vacations easier and cheaper for large families, but reiterated that people with young children are unlikely to want to go to an airport if they know they are in for long waits.

"After this summer parents may think twice about going away by plane, given how long the queues are - in and out of the country," Ms Hanly explained.

"There's a perceived cost difference between holidaying in the UK and holidaying abroad. People usually still prefer to try and go abroad because they get more for their pounds there.

"With small children, most parents would say anywhere under two and a half hours by flight [is a perfect holiday destination]. Most parents would avoid long-haul and go for short-haul."

However, another expert, Lucy Ace of holiday company Take the Family, recently claimed that families were becoming more adventurous when planning holidays.

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