Easter getaway travel misery for Brits amid road queues and plane …
Brits faced long queues at the start of the great Easter[1] getaway brought travel chaos. Millions began heading off on breaks by road, rail and plane but were met with long waits ahead of the long Bank Holiday weekend. Those hitting the motorway were warned Good Friday could turn into "bad Friday" on some routes - with traffic down to 12mph.
Today saw holidaymakers travelling through the Port of Dover stuck in hold-ups of up to an hour-and-a-half. Despite emergency plans to avoid a repeat of last weekend's "horrible" delays, travellers at the Kent port faced long waits.
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Freight lorries, HGVs and cars, queue on the A20 road towards the Port of Dover (AFP via Getty Images)
While last time it was coach parties worst affected, this time those travelling by car were left in jams. Ferry operator DFDS reported queues of approximately 90 minutes for passport checks by French officials.
Passenger Susan Robertson, 47, from Uxbridge, West London was taking part in the Two Ball Banger Rally from London to Lisbon. Along with dozens of fellow competitors she was in fancy dress.
Passengers playing the waiting game at King's Cross St Pancras (SplashNews.com)
"It was a bit frustrating to be delayed," she said. Tens of thousands of British travellers also faced disruption because of strikes taking place in France.
Some cross-Channel trains were cancelled as anti-government demonstrators protested against French President Emmanuel Macron raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote. Many flights to, from and over France have been grounded due to air traffic controllers joining the walkout.
Cars were stuck in queues as the getaway begins for the Easter weekend (PA)
British Airways axed at least 20 flights which would have used French airspace. Eurostar cancelled a train in both directions between London and Paris.
Many roads are expected to be busy, with the RAC predicting there will be 17 million leisure journeys taken by car over the Easter break. Friday is forecast to be the busiest, with an estimated 2.7 million getaway trips.
The roads are already getting busy ahead of the big get-away (AFP via Getty Images)
The A303 westbound near Stonehenge, M5 south between Bristol and Bridgwater and M25 anticlockwise between Hertfordshire and Surrey are predicted to see more than twice the normal amount of traffic, with vehicle speeds reduced to just 12mph at some points in the day. RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: "With many people keen to make the most of the double bank holiday this Easter weekend, we're expecting the customary jams across parts of the road network to make this Good Friday a bad Friday for drivers, especially those who are planning on covering longer distances.
"Traffic volumes could be even higher if the sun chooses to make a welcome appearance." National Highways insisted it was lifting more than 1,400 miles of roadworks over the Easter Bank Holiday "to help motorists enjoy smoother journeys."
Those in airports also face delays (SplashNews.com)
Gatwick Airport was braced for a flood of travellers, with today being the busiest. Planes will be jetting off to nearly 180 destinations.
The most popular for Easter getaways include Barcelona, Dublin and Malaga, while Dubai, New York and Orlando top the long-haul charts. About 175,000 passengers are set to leave from Stansted Airport, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester, 55,000 from Bristol and 85,000 from Edinburgh. Holiday giant Tui said it had over 500,000 Easter travellers, from the UK and elsewhere.
Travel trade body ABTA estimates around two million British holidaymakers will head abroad over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: "The Easter weekend is one of the busiest of the year for the travel industry and for some this will be the first overseas break since the start of the pandemic. "Millions of holidaymakers will be heading off overseas for some much-needed warmth and sunshine after weeks of overcast and rainy weather[3] at home."
Some planes were cancelled too (PA)
Those staying in the UK and travelling by train were urged to plan ahead.
Network Rail said it was using the bank holiday weekend to carry out a programme of more than 600 works. More than 95% of the network will be unaffected, it said. But London's Euston station will be closed for four days, hitting West Coast main line passengers.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "Our Easter engineering programme has been carefully planned so the majority of the rail network will remain open for business. "However, some routes will be affected by this work, so please remember to check before you travel. Shops are expecting a bumper weekend.
Industry expert MRI Springboard is forecasting a more than 5% week-on-week rise in shopper numbers across all retail destinations, with high streets predicted to see a 15% boost tomorrow.