From long-awaited trips home for Christmas to once-in-a-lifetime adventures to see the Northern Lights, winter can be a magical time to travel. However, flying in winter isn't always easy, with snow wreaking havoc on schedules and airports heaving with crowds. With a little planning, though, you can avoid the brunt of the winter-travel woes.
Read on for some essential facts every traveller should know about winter flying...
Winter can complicate flight preparation: snow must be cleared, runways gritted and windscreens de-iced, while in severe conditions refuelling equipment freezes. For some airports even the lightest flurry causes chaos, but the main culprit isn't the conditions, it's the traffic flow. Everything slows down. Managing airport capacity means reducing the number of arriving flights, and for airports running at high capacity even small disruptions have a vast knock-on effect.
'The nightmare before Christmas' can take on a whole new meaning for anyone attempting to travel through an airport in the days leading up to 25 December. In October 2024, BetterRoaming published a piece which stated that the Friday before Christmas is often the worst day for festive flying. Not only do airports host an average of 25% more airline passengers than usual on this day, but there's also the double whammy of year-high ticket prices to contend with as well. Other days to avoid are 21 and 22 December. In November 2024, NerdWallet cited 18 and 19 December as two of the least-crowded dates for pre-Christmas travel.
So you’ve booked your pre-Christmas flight, but what about the trip home? According to NerdWallet, who studied three years of TSA data, the least-crowded dates for travelling after Christmas are 31 December and 1 January. Things tend to get a lot more crowded between 26 December and 29 December. Avoid flying on these days if you can.
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Planes are no stranger to the cold – once they're in the air at least. Commercial aircraft are designed to cruise up to an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,200m), a lofty height at which temperatures hover around -56°C (-68°F). Although jet fuel freezes at around -40°C (-40°F), it's fine at high altitude so long as it was kept above that temperature until takeoff. Once in the air, the fuel passes through the engine which heats it and keeps it flowing – and crew members monitor this during the course of a flight.
It’s not all bad news when flying in winter weather: in fact, planes can actually fly better in extreme cold than they do in extreme heat. This is because cold air is denser than hot air. Such density ultimately leads to more power, and therefore more thrust and lift. Cold, dry days also tend to serve up less turbulence resulting in fewer issues with convective heating over large bodies of land.
Turbulence can be caused by various factors, including jet streams (strong air currents), wake turbulence (from other passing planes) and thunderstorms. However, there’s no direct correlation between winter weather and increased turbulence – in fact, each season presents its own challenges. Winter sees more blizzards and higher winds. Spring has more fast-moving fronts, while summer and autumn have a tendency towards tropical storms. Which season fares the worst varies from year to year.
Snow can be a real pain before takeoff – wings have to be cleared of build-up and sprayed with anti-freeze before the plane is ready to go. Once a plane is airborne though, snow won’t be able to land. This is mostly thanks to speed: commercial jets fly fast enough to avoid accumulation, and the bleed air from the engines gives the wings a good dose of warmth too.
Russia’s Sakha Republic, a vast autonomous region deep inside Siberia, is home to Oymyakon, a village that claims to be the coldest inhabited place on Earth. Winter temperatures here have been known to plummet to a staggering -67.7°C (-89.9°F). It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the Sakha Republic's capital, Yakutsk, which is located some 577 miles (929km) from Oymyakon, is said to be home to the coldest airport in the world. Average winter temperatures at Yakutsk hover around a bone-chilling -39°C (-38°F).
When it comes to dealing with cold conditions, Scandinavian airports set the benchmark. Stockholm Arlanda in Sweden prides itself on never having fully shut its doors because of snow, while Oslo Airport boasts the world’s largest ploughing vehicle (it has two of them). And, despite its harsh winters, Helsinki Airport has been forced to shut just once due to winter weather – a closure that only lasted for 30 minutes. The Finnish capital's airport boasts a fleet of about 200 vehicles and machines to deal with snow and ice, including sweeper blowers that can blow snow up to 164 feet (50m) from the runway.
Stockholm Arlanda might serve one of Europe’s coldest capitals, but snow has never stopped it. Adverse weather sometimes causes delays, or the closure of one of the runways, but the airport runs one of the most efficient winter operations in the business with over 100 snow-clearing vehicles. Its snow throwers are kept particularly busy – they can handle up to 8,000 tonnes of snow per hour.
In 2024, website Places to Travel shined a spotlight on the 10 worst airports for flight delays in the United States. It made grim reading for Provo Airport in Utah. The average delay time at this relatively small airport is one hour, 42 minutes and 31 seconds – the highest average delay time in the US. According to data provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the most weather-delayed airports in the US in winter are San Francisco International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia. In Europe, OAG data shows that Frankfurt Airport in Germany is the continent's least punctual with only 39.3% of departures going on time.
It may sound strange for a country renowned for its bad weather, but the UK just doesn’t get enough snow. White winters are the norm in some countries, but the UK sees very little snow and is not well set up to manage it. Many UK airports operate at high capacity (London Heathrow sees five times more passengers than Helsinki), so even small delays can snowball quickly. Plus what snow the UK does receive can be hard to clear, as it’s wetter and turns to ice and slush more quickly than the dry snow you tend to find in colder countries.
According to a Press Association study of Civil Authority data, London Gatwick was the UK's worst airport for flight delays in 2023. The average length of delays at the country's second busiest airport was 26 minutes and 54 seconds, meaning it might be one to avoid this winter. Other UK airports ranking in the top five for worst average delays include Luton, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, ranked eighth with an average delay time of 20 minutes. As the cold weather kicks in, things tend to get even less reliable. Plan trips around certain British airports if you can. Expect lengthier waits if you can't.
Icy and snow-covered runways are a major culprit for winter-travel woes. The good news is that this could soon be a problem of the past. In recent years, a research team at Iowa State University in the US has been developing and testing heated runways; stainless steel electrodes embedded in the concrete which keep the pavements at a balmy 17°C (62°F) and melt any snow and ice. The technology has been tried out at Iowa's Des Moines International Airport but, despite the test being a success, has yet to be rolled out on a bigger scale.
The festive period is expensive enough without the addition of overpriced flights. So, what’s the best way to avoid paying over-the-odds for your Christmas flights? According to Skyscanner, savvy flyers should book their tickets on a Sunday, which sees a 4% price reduction compared to a midweek Wednesday. Sunday is not, however, the cheapest day to do the actual flying. Skyscanner found that the cheapest day to travel was Friday, and Sunday was the most expensive.
It may surprise you to learn that there even are flights on 25 December, and sacrificing your Christmas should at least mean you save money, right? Not necessarily: in fact, according to Skyscanner, it's comfortably the most expensive day to fly across the entire festive period.
A number of websites like Skyscanner, Google Flights and Momondo send out real-time notifications to let you know when the flights you are tracking change in price. Meanwhile, KAYAK has a useful gauge on its website that shows whether flights are worth buying now or waiting to purchase later. And of course, there are apps – two worth checking out are DealRay and Hopper. Also, sign up for Jack's Flight Club or Going (US only, and formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) to receive emails when routes are unusually cheap.
Getting up at the crack of dawn in the depths of winter isn't appealing, but booking the earliest flight in the day can certainly put you at an advantage. Across America's major airports, more flights land and depart on time during the early morning than at any other time of day. And if your flight does get cancelled, an early start at least means you’ve got a better chance of squeezing onto another departure that day and avoiding a costly overnight stay. If you're flying within Europe, consider a morning flight too. Depending on where you're flying, you'll likely have some more time to explore the destination during daylight hours when you land.
Yes, size does matter when it comes to winter travel. While it can be tempting to fly as close as possible to your destination – a small airport in a ski resort, for example – should the weather turn nasty, you're less likely to get to your destination. A larger travel hub is often a better bet, as a bigger airport means you have more alternative flight options. In other words, you're much less likely to get stranded if a winter storm hits.
The same rule applies here: bigger is better. Just as larger airports mean more options, so do bigger airlines. If things do go awry and the flight cancellations start to pile up, a bigger airline is more likely to have another flight they can place you on, or even a smaller partner airline that could step in to help out too.
One simple way to dodge winter travel chaos is to pick a sunny destination for your festive break. This means that at least one of your airports won’t be snowed under and you'll come back with a lovely mid-winter glow. In Europe, Sicily promises bright skies, warmth and fewer crowds, and Malta rarely sees temperatures drop below 15°C (59°F). Mexico also boasts warm temperatures in December, and anywhere substantially below the equator enjoys sizzling summers during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.
If you’re looking to sidestep cancellations then the airline you book with really does make all the difference when flying domestically in the US. According to NerdWallet, who analysed BTS arrival data, Delta Air Lines, SkyWest Airlines and Alaska Airlines had the highest percentage of on-times flights in 2023 – 82.6%, 82.5% and 79.5% respectively. As a point of comparison, statistics provided by OAG, a UK-based global travel data provider, helped to reveal that Germany's Eurowings is Europe's best performing airline when it comes to punctuality. In 2023, an impressive 93% of its flights arrived on time.
Yes, booking flights with more stops is a nifty way to keep costs down. But, needless to say, the more stops you have on your itinerary, the more chances there are for delays or cancellations to disrupt things. And this is even more likely if you travel through an airport which isn't as adept at handling winter weather. Need more persuading? Flying non-stop is better for the environment too, as on average nearly a quarter of a plane's fuel is used just in takeoff and landing each flight.
No one likes a lengthy layover – but in winter it can actually be a good thing. When you're booking a trip, you'll likely imagine future-you skipping happily off one flight and onto the next, with just enough time to use the toilet and buy a snack. But short connection times during winter leave very little leeway. Build plenty of buffer time into your itinerary to account for potential delays – this will reduce your chances of missing a connecting flight if things do get frosty.
Flight delays can be expensive. If a delay is caused by something outside the airline's control – like severe winter weather – then passengers are not necessarily entitled to compensation. Take some of the sting out of disruptions by buying your flights with a credit card that offers free flight delay insurance. This will pay for any expenses – some cards, like Sapphire Reserve, kick in after a six-hour delay – so you won't be spending your holiday money riding out the wait.
Some trips – like jetting off to see the Northern Lights – really are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, so it's well worth forking out for travel insurance. Travel insurance won’t just repay any booking costs, it can also provide money for delays or lost baggage. Top tip: buy your cover when you book your flights. Once a winter storm has been officially named you won’t be able to buy insurance for your trip. If you're planning on doing any winter sports, make sure those are specifically included in your chosen policy too.
Whether it's a few days or a few hours before you're due to take off, it's essential to monitor the status of your flight during the winter period. You should receive updates via email or text if your flight is delayed or cancelled, but the quickest way to get up to speed is often social media. X (formerly known as Twitter) is often the first place airlines will send out updates on specific routes, so make sure you're following your airline. It's also worth following your departure and destination airports too in case there are infrastructure issues that affect your flight.
Picture it: winter weather strikes, your flight is cancelled and everyone around you is losing their cool. Although it's tempting, the last thing you should do right now is join the hordes of frustrated travellers clamouring around the airline desks. Instead, look up your options yourself. It helps to know what alternative flights and routes there are before you travel. If you arrive at the airline desk with a clear plan and specific flight numbers, you're much more likely to get what you want.
Located in Longyearbyen, the runway that serves the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard receives regular scheduled flights and is part of the world's northernmost airport. Get it on your list if you're all about seasonal and geographical extremes. With relatively warmer weather and the potential to enjoy the legendary midnight sun, it's perhaps no surprise that the airport deals with more flights in the summer. If you do fancy experiencing day after day of total darkness and -30°C (−22°F) temperatures, you can also fly here in winter. Bring a jacket and a headtorch, if you do. Oh, and watch out for polar bears and the Northern Lights.