Christmas Travel Chaos: Millions Hit Roads!

Christmas Eve is anticipated to be the busiest travel day since the Covid pandemic began. The RAC forecasts that 4.2 million drivers will be on the roads, with popular routes experiencing significant delays between 11 am and 7 pm, and peak congestion expected from 1 pm to 7 pm. This surge in road travel contributes to an expected total of over 37 million road journeys undertaken by people visiting friends and family in the week leading up to Christmas, setting a new record since tracking began in 2013.

Air travel is also reaching unprecedented levels this festive period. The Civil Aviation Authority predicts that 3 million people will fly from UK airports during the week leading up to Christmas. Major airports, including Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester, are expecting their busiest Christmas ever. Train services will also be heavily utilized, although they will conclude earlier than usual, with no services running on Christmas Day and very limited services on Boxing Day.

Beyond cars and planes, bus journeys on Christmas Day are also projected to reach their highest point in a decade. The industry body for passenger transport predicts that over 100,000 people will opt for a local bus journey on December 25th. Road closures, such as the M27 in Hampshire from December 24th to January 4th, may further contribute to longer travel times for those navigating the country during this peak holiday period.