Friday is projected to be the busiest day for air travel over the festive period, according to data analysts Cirium.

It has looked at all departures scheduled between 20 December and 2 January and says that overall, this year will see 5% more departures compared with 2023.

The busiest day for Heathrow will be 20 December, while 22 December will be busiest for Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham and Bristol airports.

Mr Bray says customers should stay in touch with their airline and expect alterations.

Leaving plenty of time for travelling to your departure airport is sensible, as well as checking baggage rules as some airlines have changes their policies recently.

He also says that customers should always reconfirm their return journey before setting off.

Which? advises that passengers will also be entitled to assistance from the airline, with things like food and drink, if their flight is delayed by more than two hours.

“For short-haul flights, the threshold for compensation kicks in after a three-hour delay – but is only payable if the delay is deemed within the airline’s control, meaning you won’t be entitled to it if your plane is held up by a snowstorm or security incident” Mr Boland says.

For cancellations, you should also get the choice of a refund or rebooking on the next available flight.