Bristol Airport has advised travellers to ditch the wrapping paper if they want to get through security swiftly this festive season. The airport is expecting its busiest Christmas since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, with an anticipated 350,000 passengers planning to travel through the airport between December 16 and January 3.
The peak of the festive period will fall on Monday December 26, when approximately 20,000 passengers will fly in and out of the airport. Fortunately, Bristol Airport will not be affected by Border Force strike action between December 23 and December 31, which will impact airports including Cardiff, Birmingham, Heathrow and Gatwick.
Bristol Airport officials are still recommending people take precautions to make their journey as hassle-free as possible. A spokesperson for the airport said: “If travelling with presents, passengers are asked to keep them unwrapped and check with the airline if wanting to take Christmas crackers away, as many airlines refuse to carry crackers on board the aircraft.”
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A Ryanair guide to Christmas flying reiterates: "Don’t spend hours intricately wrapping gifts to carry in your hand luggage. Wrapped gifts may be opened, searched and screened by airport security staff. Take a gift bag that can be folded and packed flat or save your expert wrapping skills until you arrive at your destination."
During the busy Christmas holiday period, passengers are also advised to allow extra journey time to Bristol Airport and to arrive at check-in at least a minimum of two hours prior to their scheduled departure time. In November, Bristol Airport was named the UK’s second-worst airport for security queues after a survey by the consumer group Which? indicated that passengers travelling between February and August waited an estimated average of 30 minutes.
Researchers asked nearly 1,300 people who travelled from a UK airport over that period how long they queued for at security. In response, Bristol Airport said 82 per cent of all customers travelling through the airport during the busy summer season went through security in less than 20 minutes. A spokesperson said higher than anticipated passenger numbers, paired with staff sickness and recruitment issues, did result in resource shortages at times that led to longer waits.
This winter, a wide range of European and UK destinations have continued to prove popular with Bristol Airport passengers, offering the opportunity to get away and visit family and friends over the festive period. The top destinations include Dublin, Amsterdam and Geneva.
During the lead-up to Christmas, Lapland flights have also been favoured by families hoping to experience a memorable holiday. Bristol Airport is also seeing its largest-ever ski programme this winter with a new series of flights to Toulouse with Crystal Ski and TUI.
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