Meanwhile, there are more calls to ban domestic flights and sterling’s woes continue, while Australia has unveiled a new mascot.

Here are the travel headlines making national news on Wednesday 12 October.

Heathrow in talks over Christmas flight restrictions

Christmas getaways for thousands of families risk being cancelled after Heathrow opened talks with airlines about bringing back flight restrictions. The airport is understood to have proposed “a seat factor cap” during the busiest days of the Christmas period to prevent it being overwhelmed. (The Telegraph)

Heathrow strike threatens World Cup departures

Airport workers are threatening to inflict misery on football fans heading to Qatar for the World Cup. More than 700 ground-handling, transport and cargo staff at Heathrow are today voting to strike over pay. The walk-out is planned for just before the start of the tournament on 20 November. (The Sun)

‘Ban domestic flights to cut emissions’, says think tank

Banning flights on routes with fast rail connections could cut the UK’s emissions from domestic aviation by a third, a report has found. The Intergenerational Foundation found domestic aviation was responsible for 2019 emissions equivalent to 1.7 million petrol cars. It says this could be cut by a third using rail alternatives. (The Guardian)

Pound falls as Bank rules out more help

The Bank of England’s governor has ruled out extending its bond-buying support beyond Friday’s deadline, prompting a dramatic fall in the value of the pound. Speaking in the US, Andrew Bailey said intervention to support the "dysfunctional" market had "three days left” in the wake of the meltdown following the government’s mini-budget. (Sky News)

Trust to face MPs at lunchtime

Liz Truss is due in the Commons later for Prime Minister’s Questions – the first time at the dispatch box since the mini-budget sparked market turmoil. Today’s PMQs also comes after the Bank of England said it would end a bond-buying scheme to stabilise pension funds on Friday, despite pleas for that to be extended. (BBC News)

UK ‘to miss net zero target’ without big lifestyle changes

The UK will miss its target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 without widespread changes to how people eat, travel and live, an influential parliamentary group has said. The House of Lords environment and climate change committee warned the government’s net zero plan had “too great a reliance on as yet undeveloped technologies” and that its approach to enabling behavioural change was “seriously inadequate”. (Financial Times)

Tourism Australia unveils new mascot

Tourism Australia has revealed a computer-generated kangaroo named Ruby Roo as “the new Paul Hogan”, an unofficial national mascot they hope will entice travellers. The latest global campaign, featuring the cartoon creature voiced by Australian actor Rose Byrne, was unveiled on Tuesday, kickstarting a world tour to officially launch in New York on 19 October. (The Guardian)