Gatwick gearing up for busiest period

Brits are making a last ditch attempt to get some sun out of the summer and as a result, Gatwick Airport is bracing itself for its busiest period of the year at the weekend.

As many as 137,000 passengers are expected to descend upon airport lounges at Gatwick on Sunday July 29th alone with the top destinations proving to be southern Spain and Portugal.

High demand has been reported by British Airways for flights to its French destinations and tour operator First Choice has warned potential holidaymakers that they face "minimal availability" on many flights abroad.

A spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents stated: "April was so warm that everyone expected summer to be a scorcher and a lot of people decided not to go abroad. Now they are all rushing to book."

One of the factors driving people to head to Gatwick Airport and then beyond is the fact that holidays this year are ten per cent cheaper than the summer of 2006, according to research conducted by Co-op Travel and Travelcare last month.