December 21, 2025 • 2 mins
Sydney International Airport expects 5.8 million passengers during the Christmas and New Year period, with airports nationwide anticipating record numbers. Former flight attendant Nicola Dale provides travel tips including checking in online, packing light, keeping essentials like passports and chargers in carry-on luggage, and staying hydrated. Travelling on Christmas Day can offer lighter loads and festive experiences, with some flights featuring decorated cabins and carol singing at 35,000 feet.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, airpots around the country anticipating record numbers this year,
with Sydney International expecting five point eight million passengers in
this Christmas and New Year period.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
With growing excitement comes the long queues, busy terminals and
packed flights as the festive season officially gets underway. Our
next guest is here to break down the dos and
don'ts of flying over the Christmas period and from all
let's bring in former flight attendant Nicola Dale. Good morning
to you. Look, we all know that flying during the
holiday period it can be stressful. We've all seen home
(00:29):
alone and get it into the Christmas spirit when flying.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well, look it is. It's a crazy time. It's a
combination of its chaos and magics of all combined. Really,
so I still think of it, think of it's like
love actually in real life. So there's hugs, there's happy tears,
there's reunions, there's grandparents, there's babies and sort of like
it's all happening, but sort of seek for the joy,
look for it. You know, there's music, there's decorations going
(00:54):
and if it's not really your jam, just go with.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It, you know, don't agree. Get through that extra.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, travelers make sure is ready before they set off. Hey,
how can you cheat the system and make it as
easy as possible.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
We'll do as much as you can beforehand. So these
days it's getting a lot easier. You can check online,
you can do your see the location online as well,
you can do your parking, you can do as much
prep as you can. Also, packed lightly, I think that's
always a tip. And if you can do sort of
like a carry on, have that before and also a
big sort of thing as a reminder is in your
carry on bag and social if you're going overseas, have
(01:29):
your passport with, you, have your meds with, you have
your charges with, you have those ones that you know,
all those sort of simple things but you actually need
otherwise you're not going to go anywhere too far.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But I want you because I'm always you've got a charger,
and we know that the festive season it can bring
out the best and worst. And you've been in the
game where you were in the game for a very
long Any memorable experiences around the break game.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Much into the Christmas well, a Christmas spirit, well that's
what some people can have too much Christmas spirits. So
we all love a bubble or too, but you've got
to be careful of that, so you know, you've got
to say, you know, hydrated as well. But you know,
like I remember doing a flight from San Francisco to
Honolulu and it was a day flight and it was
just joyous. So it was actually on Christmas Day and
often the loads are light, so that was really good.
(02:13):
The plane was decked out, Santa was flying the plane,
the crew had the elves in hats on, and there
was crew singing carols and then actually the passengers were
all singing carols. So it was just fantastic. And you know,
you get the Christmas, you get the place much you
hated as well, but like really it was a Christmas
party at thirty five thousand feet exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And you know what also too, is with the time
zones as well, you can actually have two Christmases or
you can actually skip it all together.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
So.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Exactly depending on the chrismas exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
That's thanks for having it. It is cheers to the
Well, airpots around the country anticipating record numbers this year,
with Sydney International expecting five point eight million passengers in
this Christmas and New Year period.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
With growing excitement comes the long queues, busy terminals and
packed flights as the festive season officially gets underway. Our
next guest is here to break down the dos and
don'ts of flying over the Christmas period and from all
let's bring in former flight attendant Nicola Dale. Good morning
to you. Look, we all know that flying during the
holiday period it can be stressful. We've all seen home
(00:29):
alone and get it into the Christmas spirit when flying.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Well, look it is. It's a crazy time. It's a
combination of its chaos and magics of all combined. Really,
so I still think of it, think of it's like
love actually in real life. So there's hugs, there's happy tears,
there's reunions, there's grandparents, there's babies and sort of like
it's all happening, but sort of seek for the joy,
look for it. You know, there's music, there's decorations going
(00:54):
and if it's not really your jam, just go with.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It, you know, don't agree. Get through that extra.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, travelers make sure is ready before they set off. Hey,
how can you cheat the system and make it as
easy as possible.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
We'll do as much as you can beforehand. So these
days it's getting a lot easier. You can check online,
you can do your see the location online as well,
you can do your parking, you can do as much
prep as you can. Also, packed lightly, I think that's
always a tip. And if you can do sort of
like a carry on, have that before and also a
big sort of thing as a reminder is in your
carry on bag and social if you're going overseas, have
(01:29):
your passport with, you, have your meds with, you have
your charges with, you have those ones that you know,
all those sort of simple things but you actually need
otherwise you're not going to go anywhere too far.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But I want you because I'm always you've got a charger,
and we know that the festive season it can bring
out the best and worst. And you've been in the
game where you were in the game for a very
long Any memorable experiences around the break game.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Much into the Christmas well, a Christmas spirit, well that's
what some people can have too much Christmas spirits. So
we all love a bubble or too, but you've got
to be careful of that, so you know, you've got
to say, you know, hydrated as well. But you know,
like I remember doing a flight from San Francisco to
Honolulu and it was a day flight and it was
just joyous. So it was actually on Christmas Day and
often the loads are light, so that was really good.
(02:13):
The plane was decked out, Santa was flying the plane,
the crew had the elves in hats on, and there
was crew singing carols and then actually the passengers were
all singing carols. So it was just fantastic. And you know,
you get the Christmas, you get the place much you
hated as well, but like really it was a Christmas
party at thirty five thousand feet exactly.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And you know what also too, is with the time
zones as well, you can actually have two Christmases or
you can actually skip it all together.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
So.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Exactly depending on the chrismas exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
That's thanks for having it. It is cheers to the
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