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| Christmas travel: traffic expected to be worst on Friday | Christmas travel: traffic expected to be worst on Friday |
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| Millions of people are on the move in the biggest day of the Christmas getaway, with festive travellers crowding into cars, trains and planes. | Millions of people are on the move in the biggest day of the Christmas getaway, with festive travellers crowding into cars, trains and planes. |
| A sizeable chunk of the 4 million people heading abroad for the holiday period are flying on Friday from UK airports. | A sizeable chunk of the 4 million people heading abroad for the holiday period are flying on Friday from UK airports. |
| On the roads, the Highways Agency has either completed or suspended roadworks at a number of sites on England's motorways and major A-roads. Some works on busy routes, such as sections of the M25 and the M1, are still in place, and motoring organisations say Friday is likely to be extremely busy, although they predict fewer tailbacks than normal, with midweek bank holidays ensuring a staggered getaway from Friday until Christmas Eve. | On the roads, the Highways Agency has either completed or suspended roadworks at a number of sites on England's motorways and major A-roads. Some works on busy routes, such as sections of the M25 and the M1, are still in place, and motoring organisations say Friday is likely to be extremely busy, although they predict fewer tailbacks than normal, with midweek bank holidays ensuring a staggered getaway from Friday until Christmas Eve. |
| The RAC predicts that 13 million people will take to the road between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Traffic jams to shopping destinations are expected to be at their heaviest on Saturday. | The RAC predicts that 13 million people will take to the road between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Traffic jams to shopping destinations are expected to be at their heaviest on Saturday. |
| Those using trains over the festive period will have to contend with a number of engineering projects. Among the routes affected are the Gatwick Express line from Victoria station in London to Gatwick airport in West Sussex. A major project means there will be no Gatwick Express services from Christmas Day until the end of New Year's Day. | Those using trains over the festive period will have to contend with a number of engineering projects. Among the routes affected are the Gatwick Express line from Victoria station in London to Gatwick airport in West Sussex. A major project means there will be no Gatwick Express services from Christmas Day until the end of New Year's Day. |
| The travel organisation Abta said Friday, Saturday and Sunday were likely to be the busiest days for those flying abroad. | The travel organisation Abta said Friday, Saturday and Sunday were likely to be the busiest days for those flying abroad. |
| The most popular destinations for sun lovers were the Canary Islands, Tunisia, Morocco and the Cape Verde islands off western Africa. For those flying long haul, Dubai, Mexico, Cuba and Kenya are favourites, while for skiers Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy are the top spots. | |
| Popular for New Year's Eve breaks are Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Rome and Dublin, Abta said. For those holidaying in the UK, London and York are popular along with the seaside resorts of Llandudno in north Wales, Torquay and Eastbourne. | Popular for New Year's Eve breaks are Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Rome and Dublin, Abta said. For those holidaying in the UK, London and York are popular along with the seaside resorts of Llandudno in north Wales, Torquay and Eastbourne. |
| Abta said about 360,000 travellers would be flying from Stansted over the Christmas period, with roughly the same number leaving from Manchester, 175,000 from Luton and 100,000 from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. Gatwick will handle an estimated 2 million travellers between 13 December and 5 January. | |
| Ryanair is carrying a record 3 million passengers from 20 December to 6 January. British Airways said just under 2 million people would fly with it between 16 December and 5 January, with Friday being the busiest day with more than 115,000 travellers flying. | Ryanair is carrying a record 3 million passengers from 20 December to 6 January. British Airways said just under 2 million people would fly with it between 16 December and 5 January, with Friday being the busiest day with more than 115,000 travellers flying. |
| Eurostar said it would be carrying more than 420,000 people from 20 December to 3 January – an 11% rise on the same period 12 months ago. | Eurostar said it would be carrying more than 420,000 people from 20 December to 3 January – an 11% rise on the same period 12 months ago. |
| In the UK, an estimated £2bn is being spent on travel to friends and families this Christmas. | In the UK, an estimated £2bn is being spent on travel to friends and families this Christmas. |
| The traffic information company Inrix said the busiest time on the roads was likely to be from noon to 5pm on Friday, with the M25 being the most congested spot. | The traffic information company Inrix said the busiest time on the roads was likely to be from noon to 5pm on Friday, with the M25 being the most congested spot. |
| Inrix warned journey times could triple at the busiest festive times, with shopping areas particularly busy this weekend and again on 27 Friday. | |
| VisitEngland said about 20% of the adult population planned to spend at least one night away from home over the festive period, with these trips boosting the UK economy by around £1.9bn. | |
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