Bermudians hoping to find last minute flights out of the Island for the holidays could find themselves out of luck as local airlines have sold out many of their flights.

And locals who anticipate taking a trip or surprising a loved one with an airline ticket are urged to act quickly, because airline agents say they cannot guarantee seats on the day a customer wants.

Major airlines like American Airlines, Continental, Delta and US Airways that cater to major cities such as Atlanta, New York and Newark say they are already feeling the pinch of trying to accommodate people looking to celebrate the holidays abroad.

"You can definitely add us to the list,'' said Herbert Siggins, airport business manager at Continental Airlines. "(December) 20 to 23 are heavily booked flights. We have our hands full for the next three weeks if the demand is consistent.'' Airline agents said they have seen a significant increase in ticket sales over the past three weeks, with inbound and outbound flights filling up rapidly.

Carole DeCouto, country manager for American Airlines, said business has been "brisk'' and flights are almost completely sold out for Christmas, but she noted American still has limited availability for those looking to go away for New Year's.

"We're heavy, but we're not completely sold out,'' she said. "Our Bermuda to New York flights are full on from the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd.'' But any dates after that are only available for Business Class fares on American, which according to the airline, run over $1,200 per ticket and those fares are rising.

Mr. Siggins added Continental has availability from Christmas Day until December 30, but those fares are expected to be high as well.

Mrs. DeCouto also moved to allay fears that passengers might be bumped from overbooked flights.

"We try not to overbook,'' Mrs. DeCouto said. "If there is an overbooking situation, then there is a discrepancy where the family thought they booked a certain amount. For the most part, we do not oversell.'' Mr. Siggins added: "Certainly we do have an overbooking profile. There is a possibility that you may have more people that show up for the flight going out, but overbooking is a result of the vagueness of the travelling public.

"We do not anticipate that happening, but there is compensation for people who choose to give up their seats voluntarily.'' With more travelling happening around the December holiday time, there have been questions raised whether or not extra carriers should be added to help with the traffic.

"We are constrained,'' Mr. Siggins explained. "We could certainly use a larger aircraft. It's true that Bermuda is considered a lucrative route, but airlines are not committed to serve only Bermuda. There is only so much demand and that is something that should probably be discussed with Government.''