GORDON Norton is clearly already well steeped in festive spirit.

When asked to spell out his name, the duty manager begins: “S...a...n...t...” before breaking in to a laugh.

The 61-year-old is one of five duty managers charged with overseeing Glasgow Airport and, having been in the role for the past 20 years, he’s worked his fair share of Christmas Days.

On an ordinary day, some 24,000 passengers will fly through the city’s airport but December 25 sees around 3000 passengers who will jet off on Emirates, Thomson, Thomas Cook and KLM flights.

Gordon, who has three grandchildren, was working 6.30am until 6.30pm.  He said: “The atmosphere on Christmas Day is fantastic.

“Even though it’s quieter, we still need to make sure customers have a good experience.

“There’s a lot of wishing people Merry Christmas and we have chocolate for children coming off flights.

“Being in the airport generally is wonderful as it’s like a village, everyone knows one another, and Christmas Day is even more special.”  He might spend the day spreading good cheer but was Gordon be wearing his Christmas jumper? There’s a shake of his head.  “Mine is in the wash,” he says.  MAY Bell has been at Glasgow Airport working her way up through the ranks for 21 years.

The security team manager has a huge job to do and delayed her Christmas dinner with her sons and grandchildren in order to do it.

May, 61, says it’s vital the security team are polite and friendly on any day of the week – but December 25 is even more important.

She said: “Every morning I make a point of going round and saying hello to all of the staff but it will always be Merry Christmas to start the day.

“You get to know both staff and customers over the years and learn when they are up for a wee bit of chat and when they can’t be bothered with your drivel.

“Christmas is no different.

“But most people want to chat because the atmosphere is great and the passengers are all jovial.”

When May finishes her shift at 1pm she will be going to home to host her two sons and her grandchildren for the rest of Christmas Day.  LYNSEY Sutherland, from Bishopton, worked the 7am to 7pm shift in Glasgow Airport’s operations tower.  This will be her fourth time working on Christmas Day since joining the airport back in 1998.

Lynsey, an airfield operations officer, is one of a team of 15 based out of the tower, which has the best view in Glasgow airport.  The team oversees airfield safety and is responsible for stand planning, the runway, all taxi ways and the aprons at each of Glasgow Airport’s three piers.  She said: “If you think of the airport as a giant chess board, we’re responsible for safely ushering all landing and departing aircraft to the stands.  “We ensure everything is where it should be at any given time and co-ordinate with the various airlines, handling agents and other departments to ensure this is done safely and efficiently.  “Working Christmas Day of course isn’t ideal for most people, including me, but the airport’s quite a nice place to be if you are working on the 25th.  “We’re somewhat away from it all up here in the tower, but there is a nice feeling about the airport on Christmas Day.”

The 36-year-old added: “Operationally, it’s pretty quiet in terms of the volume of aircraft coming in, however, there’s always something to keep you busy on shift.

“Obviously, at that time of year there’s always the chance of snow also and on one of our main jobs is to ensure the airport stays open if the weather turns.

“So while everyone was probably hoping for a white Christmas, we keep our fingers crossed that there isn’t one!”

DUTY Safety Officer Mark Scott, from Stepps, was working 7pm through to 7am on Boxing Day.  This will be the third time Mark worked on Christmas Day in his near five years of working at the airport.  Mark is one of five Duty Safety Officers covering the airport round the clock.  The team is responsible for fire safety and first aid at the airport and each of them are first responder volunteers for the Scottish Ambulance Service at Glasgow Airport.  The 26-year-old said: “Working Christmas Day’s one of those things – you’re on shift, so you might as well make the most of it.  “To be honest I don’t mind as there’s a really nice feeling about the airport on Christmas Day. You’re all in it together.  “Also, you get to see lots of passengers reunited with their friends and loved ones, which is always great to see.  “It’s quite quiet in terms of flights and passengers compared to a normal day, but as a member of the Duty Safety Team being busy or quiet doesn’t really matter if you’re called into action.  “You’ve got to be prepared for anything and everything.   “I’m quite lucky as I got to have Christmas dinner before work, but I brought in some turkey sandwiches and dessert for the shift.”