Gold Coast Airport is bracing for one of its busiest days of the year as thousands head off for Christmas and thousands more head to the Glitter Strip.
More than 150 flights are scheduled to either land or depart from Coolangatta today.
That will see more than 22,000 passengers move through the terminals on Friday.
Airlines have put on a stack of extra services, including to and from Melbourne, Adelaide and New Zealand.
Gold Coast Airport Chief Operating Officer Adam Rowe is urging people to plan ahead and pack your patience.
“By arriving early passengers will avoid the stress of having to rush for a flight and can make the most of our upgraded departure lounge by relaxing in our expanded seating areas, or shopping and dining in our new stores,” Mr Rowe said.
It comes as the Gold Coast prepares for a bumper holiday season after last year’s Christmas storms impacted the tourism industry.
“The Christmas New Year period is our busiest time of the year and operators really rely on that to have such great economic injection into their businesses and our economy, so to be hit by those storms at that crucial time was devastating for our industry,” Rachel Hancock from Experience Gold Coast said.
