Millions embark on getaways during busiest travel weekend of year

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Coaches wait in to the evening to enter the Port of Dover in Kent after extra sailings were run overnight to try and clear the backlog which has left passengers stuck in Easter traffic for hours.
Coaches wait in to the evening to enter the Port of Dover in Kent after extra sailings were run overnight to try and clear the backlog which has left passengers stuck in Easter traffic for hours.

Millions of people are expected to embark on summer getaways on Saturday, with airports and ports braced for their busiest weekend of the year.

Motorists could also face a “weekend of woe”, with motoring group RAC predicting the second busiest summer weekend since 2015. 

A total of 3.6 million car journeys are expected on Saturday, with another 2.9 million trips on Sunday, as the school holidays get under way.

The RAC said the weekend – including trips taken on Friday – would be second only to 2022, during the hot summer that followed two years of coronavirus lockdowns.

The Port of Dover said it was also expecting its busiest weekend, with 11,000 tourist cars over the course of Saturday.

A spokesperson for the port said it was “free flowing” on Saturday morning and reported wait times of just five minutes at border control.

Brittany Ferries – which operates between the UK, France and Spain – said most overnight sailings were now full this weekend, but there was still space on daytime trips.

Travel association Abta estimated that more than two million Britons would head overseas this weekend, covering the period between Friday and Sunday.

London Luton Airport expects 220,000 passengers to pass through between Friday and Monday, with a total of 2.5 million passengers expected over the school summer holiday period.

Clare Armstrong, head of guest experience at London Luton Airport, said Paris is “clearly leading the way for city break destinations”.

She said the last week had seen a 25% rise in people travelling to the French capital and that was “no doubt” due to the Olympic Games.

Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona and Lisbon are also very popular, she added.

Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport is anticipating its “busiest ever summer” and will serve 250,000 passengers a day at its peak.

On the roads, the longest delays this weekend are expected on the M5 southbound between Bristol and Devon.

Transport analytics company Inrix warned drivers wanting to avoid the worst delays not to travel between 12pm and 5pm on Saturday, and between 11am and 1pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Eurostar passengers faced continued disruption on Saturday after arson attacks on the French rail network ahead of the start of the Olympic Games.

By Pol Allingham, PA