Christmas crowds and bad weather put the Hell in Noel

Being stuck at an airport is grim any time, but as the delay of over 100 flights at Gatwick last week showed, Christmas crowds and bad weather put the Hell in Noel, warns EssentialTravel.co.uk.

"One million Brits will be flying abroad this Christmas'', says Stuart Bensusan, Insurance Director at EssentialTravel.co.uk, ''A time when the risk of flight delays and cancellations are at their highest". Which is why this December's free EssentialTravel.co.uk Magazine features a Christmas Airport Survival Guide: genuinely useful tips to help festive flyers dodge airport delays, or - if they can't - at least make them less hellish.

Tips offered in the EssentialTravel.co.uk's Christmas Airport Survival Guide, include:

- Phone the airline or check their website before you set off to the airport, to make sure there are no delays and everything's running on time (remember - it's not just UK weather that can affect your flight). If there are serious delays the airline will most likely know in advance.

- Fly early. If possible book onto the first flight of the day - any delays will get worse as the day goes on (and the airport gets grimmer with each cancelled flight). Also preferably make sure it's an 'originator' flight (meaning that it is the first timetabled flight for that airplane for the day, and originating from the airport you are flying from), so you're not waiting for it to arrive in from anywhere else. Always avoid the last flight of the day, so that if your flight is cancelled there's a good chance you'll be able to catch a later one.

- Make sure your travel insurance policy covers flight cancellation and delays. If you're not covered, you could end up missing your holiday or competing with all the other delayed passengers to buy an expensive flight home. At the same time check what coverage you are entitled to - booking yourself into a Five * hotel to wait out the delay, only to find you're not entitled to that money back, quickly turns bad tempers super-nuclear.

- Make sure you have all important phone numbers - such as your hotel and car hire company - in your phone, so that in the event of a delay you can let them know you're still coming and they don't put you down as a no-show. And when it comes to your phone, make sure it's fully charged before going to the airport and will work wherever you're travelling to.

- Take snacks to the airport with you so in the event of a short delay, you don’t have to fork out for airport food. If you find yourself delayed for more than a couple of hours you may be entitled to a food voucher from the airline - check at the flight desk (or ring your insurance help line to check your rights).

- Think about buying a lounge pass. Or, if you travel regularly from the same airport, it's worth getting a membership card which gives you priority access to airport lounges. Believe us, if you're in for a long delay, you'll be thankful.

- If you're travelling with children be sure to carry something (or several somethings) to keep them amused in the event of a delay, such as a colouring book or handheld games console. Also, tie a brightly coloured scarf on their jacket and put a card in their pocket with your mobile phone number on in case they wander off and get lost.

- Avoid peak travel times: Monday to Fridays between 7am - 10am and 4pm to 8pm are the worst. The best days to travel are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

All of these tips are available to view in the December edition of the free EssentialTravel.co.uk Magazine.