BA reports rise in long-haul bookings
British Airways claims its long-haul bookings are up 20% this week, compared with the same period last year.
It says the boom is down to the Met office predictions of continued unsettled weather and above average rainfall in some parts of the UK.
It said US destinations – New York, LA, San Francisco and Boston – were its top five destinations, along with Hong Kong.
BA is expecting to carry nearly three million people during August, but with more than half of travellers staying within Europe.
Paris, Rome, Nice, Madrid and Barcelona are the five most popular short-haul destinations.
A BA spokeswoman said bookings for European destinations were also up, but not as significantly as for long haul. She could not disclose figures.
Robert Boyle, BA commercial director, said: “More than half of customers are choosing to stay within Europe as they go in search of sunshine to escape the torrential rain we have experienced across the UK in recent weeks.
“It seems that those travelling from Britain just want to guarantee that they can be sure of some sun for their summer break.
“Further afield, the US continues to be the destination of choice for longhaul travellers as holidaymakers continue to benefit from the weak dollar. This is reflected in the popularity of city breaks in the US – with travellers continuing to benefit from the exchange rate by picking up bargains while they’re away.”
The airline warned passengers not to arrive too early for flights to avoid causing unnecessary congestion at the airport.
“Long-haul travellers should not arrive more than three hours before departure and short-haul travellers from London Heathrow and Gatwick should not arrive more than two and a half hours before departure,” said a spokesman.
“Short-haul travellers from other UK airports should not arrive more than 90 minutes before departure.”
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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