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The past year was marked by rising prices and economic uncertainty. Nevertheless, more passengers traveled at Christmas 2023 than in the previous year and spending around Christmas has also increased.
In a current study, Bunq, Europe's second-largest neobank, in cooperation with the air passenger rights organization AirHelp, determined where Germans preferred to spend their Christmas season in 2023 and what their spending was like. For this purpose, flight data from December 24.12th was used. until December 26.12th. with departure in Germany as well as transactions made during the period analyzed.
Germany as the most popular travel destination during the Christmas season
Whether it's a visit to the family or a little break: Most Germans celebrate Christmas in their own country - this is also shown by Bunq's data. More than half of German users (53 percent) spent the festive days on national soil. According to AirHelp flight data, 11,6 percent of all flights departing from Germany during the holidays were domestic flights - with most domestic flights going to Munich (27 percent), Frankfurt (25 percent), Hamburg (12 percent) and Berlin (11 percent). ).
11,4 percent of passengers traveled to Spain this Christmas in temperatures of up to 16 degrees - second place in the study. The country is becoming increasingly popular: compared to the previous year, more than twice as many Bunq users (130 percent) spent their holidays in Spain. Turkey took third place among the most popular travel destinations in the study with a share of ten percent of passengers. Another popular holiday destination for the 2023 Christmas season was the USA with 6,1 percent of all passengers. The UK finally follows in fifth place with a share of 5,5 percent.
Number of passengers during the Christmas period increases compared to the previous year
More than 600.000 passengers flew from German airports during the holidays - over 25.000 more travelers than at Christmas 2022. With almost 70.000 people, Germany was the most popular travel destination. These were the domestic flights already mentioned. Spain follows closely behind with around 69.000 travelers. Last year, Spain was in first place with around 71.000 passengers (ahead of Germany in second place with around 67.000 passengers). Turkey remains in third place with just over 60.000 passengers.
A look at the most popular destination airports shows: With a share of 3,24 percent, most people flew from Germany to Antalya in Turkey. The second most popular destination was Amsterdam (3,18 percent), closely followed by Istanbul with 3,17 percent.
Holiday spending has increased
Although spending has been rather cautious in recent months due to inflation and economic uncertainty, Germans spent more at Christmas compared to last year. The costs associated with Christmas for Bunq users were 1,37 times higher the year before - that's an impressive 37 percent. Around 25 percent more transactions were also made during the period.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, said: “While some people escape the stress of Christmas and fly on holiday over the holidays, others rely on flights home to be able to visit their families in time. Especially with such important appointments, it is even more annoying when flights are canceled or start late. Anyone who had problems with their flights during the holidays should definitely check their entitlement to compensation.”
