Heathrow cancels 100 flights as 70mph winds batter UK with Brits sent travel warning

Travel

Heathrow Airport has cancelled a number of flights on Sunday in a blow to Christmas holidaymakers as gales of up to 70mph hammer the country.As the Christmas period is set to hit imminently, high winds and bad weather could look to derail many Brits’ plans during the festivities.The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for strong winds as millions of people look to begin their travel ahead of Christmas.A number of travel disruptions have already been evident in the UK as a number of ferries between Scotland and Northern Ireland were cancelled on Saturday, December 21.Heathrow Airport announced a number of cancelled flights which were due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.The UK’s busiest airport announced that a “small number” of flights had been cancelled with a spokesperson adding: “This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned.”On Sunday, these cancellation figures on flights look to be in the region of up to 100 cancelled flights, according to the BBC.Among those 100 cancelled flights, 80 of these are on British Airways, particularly among their short-haul domestic and European flights.Cancelled British Airway flights also look to be around three round-trips to Amsterdam and Glasgow which have been grounded.Travel expert Simon Calder described these 100 cancellations at Heathrow as being “significant”, urging for the rate of arrivals to be extended in order for the airport to cope.Calder also warned that an estimated 15,000 passengers could be affected by this.Heathrow airport strongly urged passengers to check with their airline before flying and to be up to date with the latest information regarding their flight.A spokesperson for British Airways added that “adverse weather” and the subsequent “restrictions” on certain flights has led to “a small number of cancellations”.”We’re offering free flight changes for those customers booked on short-haul services who don’t wish to travel this weekend, and we will be offering rebooking and refund options as always to those whose journeys are disrupted as a result of the restrictions,” they added.The UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services, NATs, added that “due to adverse weather, temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at Heathrow.”They added: “Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.”Alongside a number of cancelled flights, road closures in exposed areas may also be closed with speed restrictions in place for some trains in Scotland.

Indians are chasing luxury travel like never before. What’s driving this shift?

Travel

Luxury, business class, and extravagant retreats are becoming increasingly popular among Indian travellers. Once known for their resourcefulness and practical approach to travel, Indians today prioritise travel like never before, and they’re doing it in style – with a taste for luxury.”I am ready to shell out a few extra bucks, but when I travel, it has to be comfortable. Brownie points if I can find luxury with that extra money,” says Muskan Agarwal, a 25-year-old student from Delhi NCR, while sharing why she prefers to travel in luxury.advertisementSuch is the mindset not only of Muskan but also of many Indians who are shifting from being budget travellers to embracing the idea of luxury travel.What data tells usLuxury travel among Indian tourists is no longer a rare occurrence. In fact, recent statistics reveal a clear shift in how Indians are approaching their travel plans. India Today analysed several year-end reports by various travel agencies, and all indicate the same. According to data from Skyscanner, an online travel agency, 37 per cent of Indian travellers plan to upgrade their flights to business or first class in 2024. Additionally, 44 per cent intend to purchase access to airport lounges to ensure their trips begin on a luxurious note.Another MakeMyTrip (an online travel agency) data shows the same. In fact, it shows a 50 per cent year-on-year increase in business class bookings, with international flights witnessing a whopping 80 per cent jump, while domestic flights saw a 27 per cent rise.

Data also shows a similar rise. Photo: MakeMyTrip
It also shows that India’s contribution of domestic hotel bookings priced above INR 10,000 has increased to 22 per cent as compared to 20 per cent in the same period last year. This number is almost double for international hotel bookings (a jump of 57 per cent from 51 per cent). These figures paint a compelling picture. For a demographic once known for cost-cutting and resourcefulness, this surge in premium travel choices marks a significant change. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B anymore; it’s about doing so in style, comfort, and with a dash of indulgence.Experts also agreeLouis D’Souza, director at Tamarind Global, says, “Luxury travel among Indian travellers has seen an extraordinary rise and this trend shows no signs of slowing down in 2025.” D’Souza explains that today’s Indian traveller craves unique, bespoke experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing. “From unwinding in a private villa on an exclusive island to a gastronomic adventure at Michelin-star restaurants in Tokyo, or indulging in bespoke art and fashion tours in Paris, the essence of luxury is shifting toward experiential and meaningful travel,” he adds.Prabhakar Kamat, business head at Red Dot Representations, echoes this sentiment, and says the trend seems to be growing even more strongly for next year.

Indian travellers are craving unique, bespoke experiences. Photo: Unsplash
“India is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse in the global luxury travel market, and this trend will only solidify next year,” he says. Kamat attributes the surge to changing preferences among Indian tourists, who are now focused on exclusivity and indulgence. “The contemporary Indian traveller is seeking experiences that feel personal and enlightening,” he adds.Both experts identify several key factors behind the shift, which include growing economic prosperity, increased exposure to global lifestyles, and the influence of social media. Let’s break down these reasons one by one. Why Indians prefer luxurySeveral factors have converged to drive the rise in luxury travel among Indians, transforming it from a niche market to a mainstream aspiration. Here’s a closer look at what’s behind this change:
Rising disposable incomes: Experts suggest that economic growth in India has created a more affluent middle and upper class, enabling a larger section of the population to afford premium travel experiences.
Change in priorities: Experts like D’Souza suggest that the younger generation has prioritised travel as an essential part of their lives being the key contributors (Not 70 hours work week). Rajesh Magow, the co-founder and group CEO of MMT, says, “The trend toward premiumisation is becoming increasingly pronounced, as travellers are willing to spend more for a memorable holiday.”
Exposure to global lifestyles: Thanks to the rise of social media and digital platforms, Indian travellers have a front-row seat to the luxury experiences enjoyed by people around the world. This exposure has cultivated a taste for indulgence and exclusivity.

Luxury hotels are taking center stage for Indian travellers. Photo: Pexels

Celebration tourism: Destination weddings, milestone anniversaries, and large family reunions are on the rise. Grand occasions now call for equally grand destinations, and luxury travel provides the perfect setting for such celebrations.
Post-pandemic priorities: Privacy, safety, and bespoke experiences have become crucial considerations for travellers. Exclusive itineraries and private accommodations naturally align with these needs, making luxury travel a more appealing option. Moreover, ever since the pandemic, there has been a change in the mindset of many people, with them prioritising experiences over anything else. This has led to the rise of a very specific type of travel known as ‘revenge travel’.
Desire for unique experiences: As D’Souza points out, modern travellers are seeking experiences that go beyond sightseeing. Private villas, Michelin-starred dining, and immersive art and fashion tours have become the new definition of luxury.
advertisementLooking ahead, the future of luxury travel for Indians seems brighter than ever. As Kamat says, “The growing appetite for such experiences is a clear indication that luxury travel will only continue to flourish in the coming years, with Indians playing a key role in shaping its future.”Gone are the days when Indians were stereotyped as “budget travellers”. Today, they are shaping the global luxury travel landscape with their evolving tastes and growing influence. Vacation from the hustle and fast-paced lifestyle is coming to Indians in the form of luxury. And from the looks of it, this shift is only just getting started.Published By: Dristi SharmaPublished On: Dec 22, 2024Tune InMust Watch

I travelled up and down the UK this year. One album sums up what I saw

Travel

The most revelatory experience I had this year happened at Glastonbury, on the festival’s Saturday night. I was at the Left Field, the 1,500-capacity big top where the afternoons begin with panel discussions about politics, and the evenings are given over to music. The penultimate attraction of the day was a quartet from Leeds called English Teacher, who played for an hour, and took my breath away: not just because their music was brimming with ideas and creativity, but because it also seemed to perfectly crystallise the state of the country. As the performance went on, the crowd received it all with an increasing feeling of rapture; by the end, it felt like everyone had concluded that they were experiencing something very special indeed.Their first album, This Could Be Texas, came out in April. Its songs do not achieve their feats with rhetoric or sloganeering, nor have much to do with party politics: their subject matter is too kaleidoscopic to be reduced to simple social or political commentary, and like the best zeitgeist-capturing musicians, English Teacher deal in poetic, impressionistic, often wonderfully strange language. The words written, sung and spoken by the singer and lyricist Lily Fontaine sometimes suggest fragments of conversations you might hear at bus stops, or in pubs or cafes, full of a sense of life having been upturned, but human beings somehow muddling on: “Shoes were bought, broken in / One new pair breaks the bank … Can a river stop its banks from bursting? Blame the council, not the rain / No preparation for the breakdown … That country is in a bad state / There’s a familiar atmosphere about the place”.In combination with the music, her lyrics evoke a mixture of weariness, confusion and regular flashes of anger, and lives just about held together by other people’s kindness. A compelling element comes from the fact that Fontaine is a black woman in a largely white and male musical milieu. What some of the songs convey particularly well is a sighing sadness, as on Albert Road, a picture of life in somewhere neglected and ignored, and full of malignancy: “Don’t take our prejudice to heart / We hate everyone … That’s why we are how we are / And that’s why we don’t get very far”.In the three weeks before Glastonbury, I had been constantly travelling around the UK – England, mostly – trying to make sense of the imminent general election, and the public mood. Most of the media fixated on the dismal science of opinion polling and looked ahead to a Labour landslide, but what people said to me suggested that this had precious little to do with how they actually felt. Mostly, I found the bitter disconnection that would soon be manifested in Keir Starmer winning a huge parliamentary majority with the support of about one in five of the electorate, and deep problems that no one thought either would or could be sorted out: sometimes, I wondered if anyone would actually bother turning out to vote.In retrospect, a lot of what I heard sounded strikingly like Fontaine’s lyrics. In Birmingham, the council was bankrupt, and the people in the queue for food parcels provided by the city’s central mosque grimly marvelled at what was happening: “Look at the state of the roads. They’re shutting libraries. Privatising all the swimming pools. There’s nothing left.” In the outwardly affluent Surrey town of Woking, an elderly man at a weekly community meal explained the basics of his everyday life: “You have to sell things. Put them in the pawnbrokers. Make some money.” A few hours later, I met a women’s football team, one of whose players responded to my questions in a tone of voice that sounded almost desperate: “There needs to be a vision. We’ve gone through austerity and Brexit, but it’s like, what’s the actual future? … What’s the UK going to stand for?”As well as melancholia, English Teacher’s other forte is an ability to conjure up the way that modern Britain suffuses ordinary reality with the downright surreal. And as I played their songs while driving around, everything reached a peak of delirious oddness two days before Glastonbury began, when I was dispatched to the Lincolnshire town of Boston; 75% of voters there had backed Brexit. Now, Reform UK’s Richard Tice fancied his chances of evicting the sitting Tory MP. There was a familiar atmosphere about the place: a desperately forlorn town centre, and a flailing anger expressed in the argot of GB News and the Daily Mail – “We’re not allowed to be British any more. We’re not allowed to fly the flag.”In the nearby village of Swineshead, I pitched up at a public meeting hosted by Tice and the former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who emerged from a Reform-branded London taxi looking like a ghost from a Dickens story. There were all of 25 people there, to hear their hosts bang on about the glories of “common sense” and how seemingly intractable problems could be instantly solved if they managed to win power. Outside, when he answered my questions about the effects of Brexit on local farmers with something close to arrant nonsense, the co-founder of a supposedly anti-elite party told me that if I interrupted his flow again, the interview would be “terminata”. Ten days later, Tice became an MP with a majority of just over 2,000. The turnout was 53%.By the late summer, the riots that followed those senseless killings in Southport had not only ended any political afterglow from the election, but provided an object lesson in the reach and clout of the modern far right. Tice, Nigel Farage and their friends have now befriended a US multibillionaire who wants to colonise Mars (shades here of an English Teacher song titled Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space), seemingly aiming to channel his riches into the south Wales valleys, South Yorkshire and the post-industrial Midlands. We seem to be stuck in ever-weirder replays of 2016, with a restive, bitingly cynical public, and mainstream politicians who don’t seem able to connect. Meanwhile, millions of everyday lives chime with what This Could Be Texas portrays.In September, the album won the Mercury prize. The judges paid tribute to its “originality and character”, and “a winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation”. I still play it almost every day: just about everything it contains continues to perfectly capture the feeling of absolutely everything being in flux, and constantly waiting for answers that never come. It speaks volumes about the band’s shining talent and Britain’s confounding condition that its songs express our predicament as powerfully as any podcast, documentary or piece of writing: if you want to understand everything that 2025 will only intensify, this is a perfect place to start.

John Harris is a Guardian columnist

‘Panic’ in Majorca as travel agencies warn of ban and ‘threaten boycott’

Travel

A travel firm has erupted in fury over an impending regulation in Majorca intended to cap guided walking tours at just 20 participants. The Balearic Islands’ Travel Agencies Business Association (Aviba) has blasted the proposed cap as ‘disproportionate’ and ‘nonsensical’. Speaking to Ultima Hora, Aviba’s top brass Pedro Fiol declared: “If this is implemented, you…

2024 Year-In Review Shines Positive Light On Travel Industry

Travel

Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedinThe trillion dollar travel industry is constantly evolving in order to meet the needs of a fickle traveling public. Once tried and true practices give way to new, innovative concepts while others seem to follow the adage, “What goes around comes around.” Despite the industry’s mercurial nature, 2024 proved to be an exceptional year for travel and its far-reaching tentacles.

When all the numbers are finalized, the travel industry in 2024 is projected to see a significant rebound, with international tourist arrivals reaching almost 96% of pre-pandemic levels, contributing to a record-breaking $11 trillion contribution to global GDP, making travel and tourism a major economic force globally.

The following factors contributed to travel’s success.
There has been a resurgence in business travel.Getty Images
Business Travel
“It’s been an exciting year for business travel, as more and more companies have embraced the return to the road,” says Billy McDonough, FCM President, Americas, a recognized leader in the business travel space. “In major markets around the country, we have seen a resurgence in travel, especially in cities with robust and diverse business communities. The growing enthusiasm for business travel has been evident throughout the year. And with traveler confidence on the rise and increased opportunities for growth in cities all across the U.S., I expect that the demand for travel will carry through into next year.”

The following data from FCM Travel was sourced after an in-depth analysis of total flight bookings from the U.S.

• Top five U.S. cities – New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Washington D.C.
• Second half growth – Philadelphia (+4.8%) and Cincinnati (+4.3%) experienced the largest half-year growth in 2024 (July-Dec ‘24 versus Jan-June ’24)
• Increase in travel down South and West – Orlando (+10.8%), Charlotte (+9%), Nashville (+8.1%), Denver (+5%), and Houston (+4.2%) were the cities with the largest year-over-year growth during the second half of 2024, compared to the same time period in 2023 (July-Dec ‘24 versus July-Dec ’23)
• Top five international destinations – London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, SingaporeNew hotels are popping up all over the worldNOBU Hotel Toronto
New Hotels
A record number of new and renovated hotels have sprung up throughout the world, some in areas that aren’t always considered high traffic tourism spots. In order to enhance its tourism landscape and introduce fresh, innovative concepts, Slovenia has launched a series of new hotel openings and renovations in 2024. This includes hotels, glamping sites, campsites, rural accommodations and other types of lodging. Travelers to this central European country of Slovenia can now discover several new hotels and stunning renovations that blend seamlessly with rich cultural traditions. On the other side of the coin, popular tourist locations such as Hawaii welcomed new hotels including Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa, Oahu.Solo travel is one of the travel industry’s fastest growing segments.In Pictures via Getty Images
Solo Travel
Solo travel continues to grow by leaps and bounds. By many estimates, almost 20% of travelers have gone it alone, a number that increases each year. Solo travel often involves individuals searching for an enlightened approach to their everyday existence, and the focus can be on relaxation, wellness, adventure, stress management or even romance. Solo travelers report that traveling alone can enhance one’s sense of self-awareness and inner tranquility. Solo travelers have many options, but Norway and Switzerland in particular stand out as ideal destinations for those desiring to travel alone. Recent trend reports call out the rise of MeMooners, or solo leisure travelers. Bermuda’s friendly locals, safe environment, and diverse range of activities make it an ideal destination for solo travelers to explore and relax. Stand-out experiences for “MeMooners” include learning the art of perfumery at Lili Bermuda or soaking in culture at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art.Travelers enjoy hot springs as part of their wellness routine.NurPhoto via Getty Images
Wellness Travel
Wellness tourism has become one of the profitable segments of the travel industry with an estimated value of $651 billion annually and a forecasted average annual expenditure growth of 16.6% to 2027. A relatively new segment of the industry, wellness tourism is now growing at a 50 percent faster rate than conventional tourism, with no signs of slowing down. Anne Dimon, co-founder, president & CEO of the Wellness Tourism Association, says that consumers have adopted more wellness practices in their daily routines which are driving demand for more wellness options when they travel. In addition, wellness travel products are no longer all about the luxury experience, and wellness travel has become more inclusive and accessible. Also, spending time in nature has become recognized as an important wellness pursuit and one that travelers look for as they select a vacation destination.Bleisure travel combines business trips with time for relaxing.Getty Images
Bleisure Travel
Research indicates that nearly half of American workers now embrace the concept of bleisure travel, which adds extra days at the beginning or end of a business trip. In fact, bleisure trips currently reach a worldwide market value of nearly $600 billion. Research reveals this market is expected to grow by around 500% or more over the next decade. During 2024, 40% of business trips were extended for bleisure travel. Over 80% of respondents to a survey by the Global Business Travel Association answered that their teams were now equally or more interested in adding leisure time to their business trips. Popular forms of bleisure travel include: City breaks: Extending a business trip to a major city to explore its cultural attractions, museums. Adventure travel: Combining a work conference in a scenic location with outdoor activities like hiking, skiing or water sports.The Paris Summer Olympics attracted over 8 million travelers.Getty Images
Summer Olympics
Paris, host of the 2024 Summer Olympics from July 26 to August 11, was bursting at the seams with activity as around 8 million visitors attended The Games, along with the 10,500 athletes who competed for glory. For many people, The Games served as a starting point for an extended holiday with travels throughout Europe after the Olympics concluded. Occurring only once every four years, this year’s Olympics presented an ideal opportunity for people to experience Europe coupled with one of the world’s storied sporting events. Also, detour destinations are on the rise as more travelers are seeking unique destinations to tack on to their trip itineraries. Travelers are still visiting popular cities like Paris, but are also eager to add on additional local spots as a day trip detour from their main destinationSustainable travel takes many shapes and forms.Getty Images
Sustainable Travel
Hospitality operators that reduce their impact on the environment through green best practices in maintenance, services, logistics, products and supplies have made great strides over the past year. These practices often included building with eco-friendly materials, planting on-site gardens with fresh produce and constructing water recycling facilities. Also, abandoning traditional in-room extras such as plastic water bottles, toothbrushes and shampoos are now top priorities for hoteliers across the globe. Europe’s largest private hostel chain – a&o Hostels – with 26,800 beds across 26 locations released its annual a&o Sustainability Report to document its efforts and progress on sustainability issues while serving as an inspiration – even a road map – for other hospitality operators to follow suit.
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Christmas weather latest: 75mph gust forecast as Christmas travel disruption continues with flights and ferries cancelled

Travel

Gusts of 75mph are forecast​Winds of up to 75mph have been forecast for parts of the UK as the Christmas getaway period continues to see disruption caused by bad weather.Heathrow Airport has confirmed around 100 flights have been cancelled on Sunday and passengers are advised to check with their airline before travelling. It comes as the Met Office said yellow warnings for wind, which came into force at 7am on Saturday , are expected to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday . Warnings remain in Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland , and in England the warnings cover the North East, North West, South West and West Midlands as well as Yorkshire , Derbyshire and Hampshire . A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled today. This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned. “We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.” The airport was keen to stress the vast majority of flights are operating as normal. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud told the PA news agency that Sunday could see gusts of up to 75mph. He said: “There will continue to be more challenging travel conditions, with coastal areas seeing around 50 to 60mph winds. “Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75mph and parts of the west are expected to see 40 or 50mph. “In the evening we are expecting these to ease and gradually drop off. “My advice for people travelling today and tonight is to take it easy, particularly in the north and east. The main concern is that there’s the potential for icy patches in some areas.” P&O Ferries said journeys between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland have been cancelled until at least 8pm on Sunday . CalMac, which operates ferry services on Scotland’s west coast, said 29 of its 30 routes are either cancelled or affected by disruption on Sunday. Rail operator ScotRail said speed restrictions are in place for part of the route between Glasgow and Oban/Mallaig, and the Inverness service to Kyle/Wick. It comes amid warnings of a “perfect storm” created by bad weather and congestion on the roads. The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers will hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million had been expected on Saturday, slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday which was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010. A spokesperson said: “If the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm. “We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.” The RAC estimated seven million leisure trips would be made on major roads during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic. It predicted congestion hotspots will be both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5. Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a “grey Christmas”, rather than a white one. Mr Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west. “Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day . “In England and Wales , temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix. We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day . The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are. “Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”

Winds blow UK Christmas travel off course, with ferries and flights cancelled

Travel

Thousands of people in the UK are facing a Christmas travel nightmare after strong winds led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferries.A Met Office yellow weather warning was in place until 9pm on Sunday from John o’Groats to Land’s End, with gusts of up to 60mph widespread and some as strong as 70mph on hills and around exposed coasts.Gusts of 82mph, the strongest of the weekend, were recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and at South Uist in the Outer Hebrides.More than 100 flights at Heathrow were cancelled and passengers were advised to check the situation before they travel. An airport spokesperson said: “We are really aware this is right before Christmas. This is purely for safety that we have had to do this.”Most of the cancellations were British Airways flights. The airline said it was offering free flight changes to passengers on short-haul services who did not want to travel at the weekend.A spokesperson said: “While the vast majority of our customers will travel as planned, our teams are working hard to help those who have been affected get their travel plans back on track at this important time of year.”A runway was closed at Belfast City Airport after an Aer Lingus plane arriving from Edinburgh suffered a hard landing. No passengers were on board. None of the four crew were seriously injured.Ferries between Northern Ireland and Scotland were cancelled on Sunday, including P&O services between Larne and Cairnyran and Stena Lines between Belfast and Cairnyran.Stefan Donnelly, a 35-year-old marketing manager, travelled from London to Scotland only to discover via social media that his Saturday night crossing to Larne was cancelled.“There wasn’t any communication from P&O, I didn’t get an email or a text message or anything,” he said. “I was on the phone for about an hour and a half this morning but I eventually got through to someone.”He said he had booked into a hotel in Ayr and was hoping to travel on the 8pm service on Sunday.The cancellations come on top of major problems caused by the closure of one of Britain’s busiest ports, Holyhead in Anglesey, after damage caused a fortnight ago by Storm Darragh. The port had been due to reopen on 20 December but that date has been changed to 15 January.CalMac, which operates ferry services on Scotland’s west coast, said 29 of its 30 routes were either cancelled or affected by disruption on Sunday.Loganair flights from Glasgow to Barra, the Isle of Lewis and Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and to Islay and Tiree in the Inner Hebrides were cancelled on Sunday.The AA predicted there would be 21.3 million drivers on UK roads on Sunday. That was slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday, which was billed as the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.A spokesperson said: “If the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm. We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”The RAC predicted the congestion hotspots would be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.Great Western Railway said the line between Crediton and Okehampton in Devon was closed on Sunday because of the weather.On Sunday morning no trains were getting to Stansted airport in Essex because of a points failure. National Rail warned of “major disruption” until 11am.The Met Office introduced a yellow warning for ice for north east Scotland from 9pm on Sunday to 10am on Monday.Forecasters are predicting the winds should ease by Monday and there will be much more settled weather on Christmas Eve.The chances of a white Christmas remain slim. Rebekah Hicks, a Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said for most people it would be a “fairly cloudy, nondescript day”.“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north,” she said. “East and north-east Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”

Travel news live: Christmas getaway delays as snow hits M62

Travel

Christmas getaway delays as 100 Heathrow flights cancelled amid 80mph wind weather warningsYour support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreThousands of travellers hoping to reach home for Christmas have had to organise last minute alternatives, as flights, ferries and trains continue to be cancelled. Over 100 flights at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, have been cancelled on Sunday, while dozens of ferry routes in Scotland and Ireland are no longer running due to the bad weather. Snow overnight has caused disruption on the M62 with one lane closed, as the RAC advise drivers to be cautious as millions take to the motorways this wekend. Eighty of the Heathrow cancellations are on British Airways, involving short-haul domestic and European flights. Three round-trips to Amsterdam and Glasgow have been grounded.Rail passengers are also facing another chaotic Sunday as Northern cancels all trains on 11 routes.It comes as weather warnings kick in for parts of the UK on Saturday as millions more people get away for Christmas.Yellow warnings for wind are in place from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday in the North West, the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.Flights and ferries to Scottish islands cancelled amid yellow warning for windWindy weather has caused travel disruption for people living on Scottish islands, with ferries and flights cancelled.A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind is in place until 9pm on Sunday, covering the whole of Scotland as well as areas south of the border.Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands have been cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes have also been axed.Gusts of 82mph were recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and at South Uist in the Outer Hebrides – the strongest winds across the UK as of 2.30pm on Sunday, the Met Office said,CalMac cited “strong winds with gusts up to 60mph” as the reason it cancelled all sailings on the Troon to Brodick service, connecting Ayrshire with the Isle of Arran.The ferry operator pledged to review cancellations on the Oban to Craignure route, connecting Argyll and Bute with the Isle of Mull, with the possibility that a 7.20pm sailing could go ahead on Sunday.Ferries have been cancelled due to strong winds (PA)