Chilly Bradfordians are making a last-minute dash for some sun.

Passenger numbers at Leeds-Bradford Airport are climbing as temperatures here are plunging.

In the last few days between Christmas and the New Year more than 30,000 passengers passed through the airport, said its commercial director Tony Hallwood. The top hot spots for people seeking winter sunshine are the Canary Island resorts of Tenerife and Lanzarote and Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh resort, he said. Snow-sport enthusiasts are heading for the French Alps, taking advantage of heavy snow.

Mr Hallwood said: “We’re not quite as busy as just before Christmas but people are still heading off for a well-earned break before going back to work. There’s no doubt the bad weather we’ve been having here has driven lots of that demand.”

He also said post-festive short-break flights to Paris and Amsterdam had taken off with people booking last-minute escape destinations before getting back to work.

According to Travelsupermarket.com internet inquiries have soared in the past few days as fed-up Britons look for a way out from the big freeze.

Meanwhile, holiday companies are competing for hard-to-bag early bookings for 2010 summer holidays with some slashing prices by up to 50 per cent.

“If you are stuck on dates and you are fairly certain where you want to go, then sniff out the good deal now and book,” said a spokesman for Travelsupermarket.

Source: Telegraph and Argus (http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/4827831.Passengers_take_off_for_winter_sun/)