The Easter weekend is looming close on the horizon, with many passengers set to make use of the extra days off to hit the skies. With Friday and Monday designated as public holidays in countries across the world, it is a perfect opportunity for a long weekend away with friends and family. But how are airlines preparing?

Lufthansa will have special guests on site

If there's a country that loves its public holidays the most, Germany is certainly a contender. Indeed, the European nation is known for having a considerable amount spread throughout the year. While the exact number is determined by the federal states, there are nine occasions that all 16 mark with a public holiday.

Easter is no exception, with the key dates this year being April 7th (Good Friday) and April 10th (Easter Monday). German flag carrier Lufthansa does a good job at representing its homeland on the world stage, and, naturally, it is getting in on the act with the celebrations. Interestingly, however, these are occurring pre-Easter.

Indeed, today will be the first of two days in which it has special guests for young passengers to meet at the airport. Specifically, its mascots, Lu and Cosmo, will be present at its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) hub. Tomorrow will then see none other than the Easter Bunny itself make an appearance at Munich Airport (MUC).

Virgin Atlantic has a sale on

Meanwhile, over in the UK, Virgin Atlantic is marking the Easter weekend with a promotional sale. The carrier explains that "Easter 2023 is fast approaching, and we have some fabulous destinations which you can jet off to this April."

While it might be too short notice to book a cheap trip for the Easter weekend itself, the airline is offering a wide range of low fares to destinations throughout its long-haul network for later in the month. Some of these are for itineraries that begin in just two weeks, such as a £391 ($488) return from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Los Angeles International (LAX) departing on Wednesday, April 19th.

For passengers wanting to pay a bit extra for a more luxurious experience, the sale also features return flights from Heathrow to New York JFK and back for £723 ($903), departing on April 17th. Bargains in Virgin Atlantic's top-end 'Upper Class' cabin are harder to come by, but Jamaica's Montego Bay (MBJ) can be reached in style for £2,046 ($2,555) return, departing in Upper Class on April 19th.

Emirates' special catering

In terms of passenger experience, Dubai-based UAE flag carrier Emirates has got in on the act with Easter-specific catering in its lounges and on its flights. These will be served on routes out of Dubai over the coming weekend, as well as onboard services to Cyprus, Greece, and Russia on the weekend of April 14th-17th.

Some preparations have been less than ideal

While passengers flying with Emirates, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic will seemingly find it rather easy to get into the Easter spirit, others look set to have a harder time.

For example, British Airways' Easter preparations have unfortunately seen it have to cancel approximately 300 Easter flights. This has been done to ease congestion at Heathrow, amid a strike by security staff. Despite these challenges, the UK's busiest airport is still set to handle almost 11,000 flights over the Easter holidays.