UK airports and skies as busy as ever

Of the 93m people who began their journey at a British airport last year, 52pc used low-cost carriers, according to new data from Amadeus, the travel industry technology company.

The latest figures represent a four percentage point rise on the previous year, when 48pc of passengers used budget airlines such as easyJet, Ryanair and FlyBe.

Amadeus’s statistics also showed that budget carriers took a 38pc share of European flight traffic in 2012 – a rise on the 36.5pc figure in 2011.

This low-cost carrier penetration in Europe represents the biggest market share – regionally – in the world. In North America, budget airlines have just under a third (30.2pc) of the market, while in Asia it is less than a fifith (18.6pc).

If you are taking your family on holiday then ensure you have them all covered for any flights they might take.