UK destinations 'in demand for bank holiday'

Brits are showing a preference for staying on home soil this spring as tight financial conditions lead to an increase in the popularity of affordable short breaks, according to Flybe.

The low-cost regional airline said that passenger numbers for the coming holiday period are up by 19.5 per cent on the previous year.

Flybe's most popular route of all for the May bank holiday is its connection between Belfast City and Manchester Airport.

London Gatwick Airport is set to welcome a higher number of Flybe passengers from Jersey, Guernsey and Belfast, while routes from Edinburgh Airport to Southampton and from Birmingham Airport to Edinburgh are also in the top ten.

Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer of Flybe, said it was "good to see" that people were showing an interest in visiting regional destinations.

He also stressed the advantage of flying to destinations rather than driving, such as avoiding "frustrating, time-consuming and environmentally damaging motorway queues".