As Britain gears up for the first bank holiday of the year, Flybe, Europe’s leading regional airline and the UK’s Number One Domestic carrier, gives a snapshot on the travel trends emerging within the UK as a result of the Easter break.

Family friendly destinations key for British holidaymakers
Flybe’s seven routes into Paris Charles de Gaulle are particularly busy with passenger numbers up by 19% over Easter 2010, with travellers using them for convenient access to Disneyland Paris and the rest of the world through Flybe’s codeshare with Air France.

Sun routes soaring
Across its extensive network, Flybe’s sun routes, including its service between Exeter and Alicante, are up by 9% over the Easter period last year. In particular, Flybe’s passenger numbers to regional France have also been boosted 72%, enhanced by new routes to Nantes from London Gatwick and Manchester.

Domestic flights from the South West take off
From its base in Exeter, Flybe has recorded particularly strong close-in sales on its domestic routes from the South West to more Northern destinations in the UK. On routes such as those to Manchester and Newcastle travellers are choosing the 50-minute flight instead of a lengthy drive in excess of seven hours, avoiding the risk of long traffic queues in the high temperatures forecast this weekend.