What it’s like to fly on Christmas Day – and why your crackers will be confiscated

Will you be up to your elbows in the kitchen on Christmas? Well spare a thought for the staff at Heathrow Airport, who have been told to expect their busiest Christmas Day ever.

London’s biggest airport predicts that the number of passengers flying on Christmas Day itself will be 21 per cent higher than last year, when some 142,000 people flew from Heathrow.

Perhaps you can think of nothing worse than spending the festive day on a plane. But clearly plenty of people end up doing just that, whether by choice or necessity.

So what it’s it like to fly on Christmas Day? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why are there so many flights on Christmas Day?

While it might seem surprising to some, there’s actually a very easy answer to this one: it’s because people want to fly.

“If there are flights on Christmas Day, it’s because the airlines think they can sell tickets,” says aviation consultant John Strickland at JLS Consulting.

While we heard lots during the pandemic about some airlines running near-empty flights in order to retain their coveted slots at Heathrow, that isn’t the case with Christmas flights.

“Obviously Christmas isn’t celebrated everywhere in the world, but even within Western countries there are cultural differences which can affect travel patterns,” says Strickland.

Given that Thanksgiving tends to take priority in the US, for example, there are often plenty of Americans flying into London (as well as other airports like Manchester) from the States on Christmas Day.

Where can I fly this Christmas?

Looking at the Christmas schedule, it’s not hard to find at least one flight to the typical destinations which have direct flights from the UK.

Of the 794 flights set to depart Britain on Christmas Day, the most common destinations are Paris and Istanbul, both of which have 30 separate services. Other population destinations include Amsterdam (24 flights), Dubai (24) and New York (19).

Of course not everywhere closes down for Christmas. Hence the fact that British Airways is operating one flight to Las Vegas on the 25th, where lucky revellers can at least expect to find some hospitality – seasonal or otherwise.

As for which airlines are the busiest on December 25, BA has 183 scheduled flights, compared to 79 for Wizz Air, 49 for KLM, 40 for easyJet and 26 for Virgin Atlantic.

One airline you won’t see on the departure boards is Ryanair, which chooses to give its entire staff the day off.

Is it cheaper to fly on Christmas Day?

Given that prices usually shoot up before Christmas, you can see why some would expect that tickets would be cheaper on the day itself, where demand is comparatively less.

Sadly, this one is a bit of an urban myth. When I checked routes on BA, easyJet and Turkish Airlines, ticket prices were practically identical to the rest of the week.

If you’re in the market for a cheap getaway, the first week of January might be your best bet.

What happens in the airport on Christmas Day?

Even if the flights aren’t much cheaper on Christmas Day, you should be able to count one thing going in your favour: the airport should be comparatively quiet.

“The airports will almost certainly be much less busy due to fewer flights operating,” says John Strickland.

Another major London airport, Stansted, says that Christmas Day is reliably amongst the three quietest days of the year, alongside January 3 and 4.

Quiet is one thing, but can you expect any seasonal cheer to make the experience more memorable?

On that front, Heathrow talks a good game, claiming that its four terminals will be “transformed into a winter wonderland” with a promise of “festive fun” for those passengers who want it.

Overall, the airport will have 58 Christmas trees across the terminals, as well as a Christmas-themed choral quartet belting out the seasonal classics and a giant polar bear mascot for the kids.

A spokesperson for Heathrow confirmed that the majority of the airport’s “retail estate” will be trading as normal, so you should be able to count on your favourite restaurants – as well as a few free mince pies along the way.

What about the flight itself?

One of the pitfalls of flying on Christmas Day is that you may miss out on your festive lunch. Although some full-service carriers are doing their best to prevent that.

“Airlines will often have a Christmas meal on the menu, so you may even get a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings,” says Paula Gahan, a flight attendant and host of the Bad Air Hostess podcast.

“It’s a nice touch for passengers, although I’m not sure that serving sprouts in such a confined environment is a good idea.”

Virgin Atlantic says it will be serving roast turkey Christmas dinners across all flights between December 24-26, alongside alternative options for those not in the festive mood.

They’ve also added some festive films to their media library throughout December, including Bad Santa, Elf, Journey to Bethlehem and The Polar Express.

“Airlines will do a bit of extra stuff to keep passengers in good spirits, particularly if it doesn’t cost them anything,” says former Ryanair captain turned freight pilot Brian Smith.

“The crew will be wearing Christmas hats and they’ll probably play jingle bells over the PA when you board.”

For all the festive feeling in the cabin, though, the experience will be business as usual for those on the flight deck itself.

“When you’re flying the plane, you probably wouldn’t notice any difference,” Smith adds. “You might get people saying ‘Merry Christmas’ over the radio every now and then, but that’s about it.”

Is there anything I need to know before I fly?

While it may be business as usual for aviation on Christmas Day, Heathrow has published a few additional reminders to help passengers breeze through swiftly and safely.

They advise anyone flying over the Christmas period to avoid wrapping their presents beforehand, as wrapped boxes may be considered “concealed packages” and thus subject to being opened.

Unfortunately, Christmas crackers are a no-no on the plane, due to the fact that they contain small explosive charges. The same goes for party poppers and, unsurprisingly, sparklers.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember if you’re using one of the big London airports in particular is that public transport (including the tube) won’t be running on Christmas Day.

Though if you’ve ever passed through London airports on December 27 and 28 – when many train services are cut to the bone anyway – you may not notice the difference on that front.