The rail, road, flight and ferry travel chaos you need to know about this Christmas
Christmas travel: The traffic, train and flight delays to expect amid festive getaway
- Roads across the UK are predicted to be exceptionally busy, particularly on Friday 19 December, Saturday 20 December, Monday 22 December, and Christmas Eve, with a two-mile tailback already reported on the M4.
- Air travel faces significant congestion, with London Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester airports anticipating their busiest Christmas, and flights to Dubai experiencing diversions and delays on Friday 19 December due to adverse weather.
- Rail services are affected by driver shortages, leading to CrossCountry cancellations on Friday 19 December, and major engineering works are scheduled after Christmas, including closures on the West Coast Main Line and London Waterloo.
- The busiest days for rail travel before Christmas are Saturday 20 and Monday 22 December, while Christmas Eve offers less crowded journeys but with early service shutdowns, and no trains will run on Christmas Day.
- Coach operators like Flixbus and National Express are increasing services to mitigate rail disruptions, and the Port of Dover expects peak ferry traffic from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 December, advising early arrival.