Time to plan your Christmas trip
[2008-09-25 18:20]
Although autumn has hardly begun, it is already time to plan your Christmas trip. Those who book early have the widest range of available departures to choose from – and will enjoy the best prices.
This year Christmas Eve − December 24, when people in Sweden usually open their presents − falls on a Wednesday. As a result, most holiday travel will be spread out from Friday, December 19 until the Christmas holidays. Those planning to celebrate Christmas away from home will thus benefit from a larger nrange of departures − and thus prices − to choose from. As always, the flights that will be in heaviest demand will be those to Norrland, the northern 3/5 of Sweden.
“Many people want to travel home to Norrland over Christmas, and for most of them flying is the obvious choice. One hour they are in Stockholm, and the next hour they are home in Norrland,” says Niclas Härenstam, Manager Press Relations, LFV Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.
But for people who are planning to celebrate Christmas in southern Sweden, flying is also a good alternative in many cases. Those who choose air travel avoid the stress of highway driving and many of the winter-related problems that plague Swedish roads and railways.
“With today’s high petrol prices and train fares, flying is not only the fastest way to travel, but often also the cheapest. Those who choose to fly usually enjoy a more pleasant start to their Christmas holidays,” Mr Härenstam says.
The Stockholm-Arlanda Destination Guide shows which airlines serve the various airports in Sweden. All major domestic airlines offer single journey fares, enabling travellers to combine airlines based on the best offers. For those whose destination is Malmö and vicinity, flying to Copenhagen (Denmark) may also be an alternative, combined with the train across the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) to Malmö.
Here is the Destination Guide.