Flying home for Christmas - How was your experience?

Myself and herself moved over here 6 months ago, so it will be our first time flying home for Christmas

I've heard some horror stories about people being delayed massively leaving London during the festive period.

Anyone who has flown home before, how was your experience?

We're flying in the evening from Gatwick on 23rd December to Dublin, so it's cutting it close in terms of delays which I'm slightly nervous of given that it doesn't allow much breathing room for harsh delay

S.M.B.

It can be a nightmare if it snows in the week running up to Xmas but I haven't had any major problems since the clusterf*ck that was winter 2010.

rainbow kirby

No major delays heading out. Bumpy ride to Dublin on a turboprop from Southend but not too bad. We were delayed one day coming back last year when a storm rolled in, Aer Lingus pulled the Shannon flights but Ryanair didn't.

We're getting the ferry this year though - good to have the car when we're home with the baby.

Thanks a million, this does put the mind at ease

Just going to have to do a ritualistic dance everyday until then to try and prevent snowing!

BrokenArrows

S.M.B. wrote: »

It can be a nightmare if it snows in the week running up to Xmas but I haven't had any major problems since the clusterf*ck that was winter 2010.

2010 - Never Forget.

Was due to leave at 7:30am to Dublin on the 24th, ended up flying to Belfast at 11:30pm. Dad had to drive up from Sligo to get me from Belfast. The car thermometer said it was -15 outside while we were driving back through some valley.

But ya, usually its fine.

SteM

OP, consider booking the Fast Track coming through Gatwick. £5 each and it's a much more pleasant getting through the airport, especially at that time of year.

http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/flying-out/premium-security/

AndyBoBandy

S.M.B. wrote: »

Isince the clusterf*ck that was winter 2010.

I got very lucky that year, flew Dublin - Heathrow - Athens the previous week, and my return home was the same route, just as I was leaving for Athens airport I saw the ensuing cluster**k take hold at Heathrow, and immediately booked a flight to Dublin via Vienna (which actually had heavier snow than in London the same day, but Vienna being Vienna, it only caused minor delays while being de-iced (which was epic, as the de-icers were static, and the planes drove through them like a carwash).

Got home to Dublin, and the next day we had a shed load of snow here, causing umpteen delays

silvervixen84

In 2010 I was leaving the flat on the 23rd to fly home and got a text from Aer Lingus to say my flight was cancelled. Scrambled to book sail rail and got the train from Paddington to Pembroke, arriving at about 10pm. Got off one stop early by accident and had to walk across a deserted Pembroke town, dragging my suitcase in the snow to the ferry port and then sat in the cold waiting room for hours til they let us on the ferry, which departed at 3am.

The ferry itself was lovely and I ran into an old school friend so got to hang out with him and have a few beers. Got to Rosslare at 7am and hopped on the bus home (Co Cork), arriving close to midday on Christmas Eve.

That was my first year in London and I'll never forget that journey.

BrokenArrows

silvervixen84 wrote: »

In 2010 I was leaving the flat on the 23rd to fly home and got a text from Aer Lingus to say my flight was cancelled. Scrambled to book sail rail and got the train from Paddington to Pembroke, arriving at about 10pm. Got off one stop early by accident and had to walk across a deserted Pembroke town, dragging my suitcase in the snow to the ferry port and then sat in the cold waiting room for hours til they let us on the ferry, which departed at 3am.

The ferry itself was lovely and I ran into an old school friend so got to hang out with him and have a few beers. Got to Rosslare at 7am and hopped on the bus home (Co Cork), arriving close to midday on Christmas Eve.

That was my first year in London and I'll never forget that journey.

I booked a sail and rail too last minute but i missed the rail part, so had to go back to the airport.

CelticRambler

I've given up travelling around Christmas. I don't think the number of delay-causing incidents is any greater than at any other time, but you've got so many people and no spare capacity on flights/sailings before or after that the chances of getting stuck beside some disgruntled headcase is higher.

Having said that, there is strength in numbers. I was travelling on a sail-rail ticket a few years ago and the driver of the train from Euston didn't show up. There must have been about a hundred of us all heading to Holyhead (load of nationalities, great atmosphere) trying to get re-booked on the next available train. Of course with the privatisation over there, whatever company we were with wanted to put us on their next available train - which wouldn't get us to Crewe on time for the connection to Holyhead, not the next one, which would. After much quiet scheming between us, we boarded that next train anyway, took over two carriages and refused to get off. That was a Virgin train and the guard/driver/company were very understanding. Still missed the connection, though (not Virgin's fault)

Flying from the UK shouldn't be a problem. It's a different story in Germany. There, they have a curfew, and if the plane doesn't get off the ground by 11, it doesn't leave till the next morning. My sister's spent a few unexpected nights in a hotel because of some minor delay, which isn't half the fun it sounds with all the hassle involved. Last time (I was watching her on FlightRadar) they were on board, ready to taxi, then the plug was pulled ...

BrokenArrows

CelticRambler wrote: »

Last time (I was watching her on FlightRadar) they were on board, ready to taxi, then the plug was pulled ...

Jesus thats some serious German sticking to the rules. lol.

Similar thing happened to me last christmas but it was Heathrow who was closed, so they redirected to Gatwick and paid for our taxis to the city. Was a total ball ache as there was obviously not enough taxis around and we were waiting around for hours in the cold.

Wish they had just put me up in a hotel for the night in ireland instead, would have cost them the same or cheaper.

S.M.B.

Looks like I wasn't alone in my difficulties in getting home for Christmas 2010.

OP, one thing that just popped into my head. Southern rail are due to be on strike on the 23rd of December along with 22nd, 24th, 31st, 1st and 2nd. I flew home 2 weekends ago when they were also on strike with trains limited to the Gatwick Express and it was not very pleasant. Because of this I blew a sh*t load of cash to fly out of London City Airport on the 22nd to avoid having to go to Gatwick.

CelticRambler

... and don't forget the engineering works! If you leave it till really close to, or just after Christmas, to do your travelleing, and end up needing to take a train for any reason, the usual timetable is shelved for about two weeks and connections that you might use at any other time of the year just disappear. Use the National Rail journey planner to check that the services actually exist for the days you might want.

Travelling from the UK, you've got plenty of options for a back-up plan, so you're unlikely to be completely stranded. It's only the length and comfort of your journey that will suffer.

biZrb

S.M.B. wrote: »

Looks like I wasn't alone in my difficulties in getting home for Christmas 2010.

OP, one thing that just popped into my head. Southern rail are due to be on strike on the 23rd of December along with 22nd, 24th, 31st, 1st and 2nd. I flew home 2 weekends ago when they were also on strike with trains limited to the Gatwick Express and it was not very pleasant. Because of this I blew a sh*t load of cash to fly out of London City Airport on the 22nd to avoid having to go to Gatwick.

Thanks, didn't realise this. I'm flying out of Gatwick on the 22nd and was planing on getting the train, will need to come up with a back up plan now!

exiledelbows

biZrb wrote: »

Thanks, didn't realise this. I'm flying out of Gatwick on the 22nd and was planing on getting the train, will need to come up with a back up plan now!

Thameslink should be unaffected, just expect them to be busier

PhilTorres

First Christmas here myself, unfortunately due to putting booking flight on the long finger for so long I'll be Sail and Railing it on the 22nd overnight boat. Leave Euston c8.10pm and arrive into Dublin at 6am on the 23rd.

theteal

Thanks to MrsTeal's mat leave we can finally have a proper xmas stint(2+ weeks!) back in Dublin. We're on the 2am boat from Holyhead on the 18th. We're travelling with a 2 month old so I won't be aiming to beat any speed records driving to Holyhead

We did get back for 4 days last year but it's not worth that trip for so few days - roadworks on the M6 were a killer

rainbow kirby

theteal wrote: »

Thanks to MrsTeal's mat leave we can finally have a proper xmas stint(2+ weeks!) back in Dublin. We're on the 2am boat from Holyhead on the 18th. We're travelling with a 2 month old so I won't be aiming to beat any speed records driving to Holyhead

We went back in June when my son was 12 weeks old - he slept most of the way. More worried about the trip back in a few weeks when he'll be nearly 9 months!

ancapailldorcha

So does the tube get quite bad around Christmas then? My first time heading home from London...

BrokenArrows

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

So does the tube get quite bad around Christmas then? My first time heading home from London...

Not really.
If anything it gets quieter.

The only issues will occur if there is heavy snowfall. This causes problems for lines which travel overground too (which is most of them)

We booked some flights at the weekend. Couldnt say no to £85 return flight to Knock from Stansted.

S.M.B.

Picadilly line to Heathrow isn't in the best of states these days with the ongoing repairs. Not sure if it's going to be fully resolved over the next few weeks too.

ancapailldorcha

I went for Gatwick as it happens. Used to live in Brighton so got used to using it often.