New York, Hong Kong and Miami top long-haul destinations for British Airways this Christmas

Thousands of British Airways staff will don fancy dress this Christmas to wave a festive farewell to hundreds of thousands of holiday-makers as the great Christmas escape begins.

More than one million customers are expected to travel on the airline in the Christmas fortnight with Wednesday December 21 expected to be the busiest day.

New York is once again the top long-haul Christmas retreat, with the vibrant city of Hong Kong and beaches of Miami coming second and third respectively.

A short break to Paris is the number one European Christmas destination followed by Geneva, the gateway to the ski-slopes, and Madrid.

On domestic routes, British Airways will be reuniting thousand of families for the festive season with Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow making up the top three destinations.

British Airways commercial director, Martin George, said, "Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the airline and we will be focused on delivering world-class service for all of our customers.

Mr George also urged customers to take advantage of new technology at airports and ba.com which removes the need to queue to check-in.

"We will be working hard to check customers in as fast as possible. However, the queue can be avoided by using our self-service kiosks at the airport where customers enter their details, answer a few questions and receive their boarding card. They can then drop their luggage off to the designated fast bag drop and relax before their flight departs.

"Alternatively, customers can check-in online and print their own boarding pass from the comfort of their own home. Other benefits of ba.com include choosing seats and meals."

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, British Airways, Christmas