Eurostar is a beneficiary of the UK's current security clampdown on air travel. The high-speed cross-Channel train operator is carrying many thousands of additional passengers who are shunning the airports in favour of the train.
Eurostar claims that it's taken 43,000 extra bookings between last Thursday (the day the security clampdown began) and next Sunday.
Despite the unexpected demand for its services linking London, Paris and Brussels the train firm, says a spokesperson, "is maintaining 94 per cent punctuality and is enabling thousands of travellers to avoid airport hold-ups."
Eurostar says that significant numbers of travellers have been changing trains at Lille, Paris or Brussels for onward connections into France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
It's also possible that some intrepid travellers are using Eurostar to reach Paris-CDG airport from where they can fly long-haul without the UK's strict hand baggage restrictions.
Although Eurostar itself cannot stop at CDG (because the airport station has no immigration clearance) passengers can access the airport either by changing at Paris Nord (from Eurostar to the regional RER service) or by transferring at Lille Europe from Eurostar to a domestic TGV service. The train station at CDG is incorporated into T2 (the home of Air France and fellow Skyteam members).
Readers should note that the booking restrictions with Eurostar's promotional fares are being relaxed for travel until September 1, making the train firm more affordable than usual.
For more information go to eurostar.com
Report by Alex McWhirter
