GLASGOW Airport is limbering up for one of its buisiest spells of the year as ex-pats jet home for Christmas and Hogmanay, while locals head off for a holiday break.

But forget flying to Lapland to visit Santa's grotto, Scots are more interested in 'Lanzagrotto' as they head for sunnier climes and hotspots such as Lanzarote, and Dubai.

Today signals the start of festive flights in and out of Glasgow. The next 10 days will see more than 140,000 passengers use the terminal until the last festive flight on Thursday, January 2.

And it's a time of year when there will be more tears than usual.

Amid the sparkling tinsel there will be sad scenes when tears of sorrow and clinging hugs are shared among loved ones at the departures gate, while, over at arrivals, there will be tears of joy and huge smiles.

Airport boss Amanda McMillan said: "The festive period is always an emotional time at the airport.

"Many of our passengers will be returning home to spend the holidays with friends and family and, as a result, there can be lots of happy tears in the terminal as loved ones are re-united.

"Others will be seeking to escape the cold by flying to sunny locations, and we also have a great number of people keen to be at the heart of the celebrations by heading to popular Christmas destinations.

"Whatever our customers' travel arrangements, sunny or festive, we hope they enjoy their break and would like to wish them all a very happy Christmas."

Traditionally, Scots stay at home at this time of year but tens of thousands plan to spend the big day miles away.

The most popular city breaks are New York, Paris, Barcelona and Berlin, while the favourite sunshine destinations include Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Dubai.

But one winter destination which remains a firm favourite with young families is Lapland, where children get to play in the snow and meet Santa.

Budget airline easyJet is gearing up for its busiest ever Christmas.

It is laying on more than 170 flights involving 22,000 festive travellers out of the west coast hub to destinations across Europe as well as other parts of the UK, including London.

The busiest day for easyJet will be next Friday, when more than 2500 passengers will fly in and out of Glasgow.

And they can avoid tears of frustration by following some simple rules.

Wrapped Christmas gifts should NOT be put in hand luggage.

Presents must go with the rest of the hold luggage.

And ongoing restrictions mean only liquid containers of up to 100ml will be allowed through airport security, and only if packed in clear, re-sealable plastic bags.

Larger containers must be put in suitcases or bags destined for the hold.

Airport security chief Ronald Leitch said: "To ensure our customers' journey through the airport is hassle-free, we would encourage anyone travelling with Christmas presents to take a few moments before they leave home to double check any liquids are properly packed and within the 100ml limit.

"If anyone is planning to take any presents on their flight, we'd recommend they pack them in their hold luggage, as this will help reduce time at security."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk