Labor Day brought an end to a busy holiday weekend, at least according to expert expectations.
AAA projected a 9% bump in travel compared to last year, thanks to dips in prices for airfare, gas and car rentals.
“Travel volumes have been robust domestically and internationally all summer,” Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance, said in a statement.
That included a forecast of 17 million air travelers, the most for a Labor Day weekend. Despite the bump, many travelers said Monday was smooth.
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“The news made it sound like this was going to be the busiest, like ever, and it doesn't look like it now,” Hartford resident Michael Swanson said at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.
Bradley officials forecasted 55,000 departing flights, in line with last year.
Travel on the roads, meanwhile, greatly depended on the area.
“The roads are bad, but the beaches, the natural beauty makes up for it,” James Haseltine, of Vermont, said. He went to visit family along the shoreline.
Jillian Butler, of Enfield, said things were much better in the northern part of the state.
“I was expecting a little more traffic than there is right now, but I think with the kids back in school – they went back last weekend – it's not too bad,” Butler said.
The additional traffic made for a busy weekend for state police, who answered 3,883 calls for service through Sunday night.
State police said they also issued 412 speeding tickets, made 18 driving-under-the-influence arrests and responded to 268 accidents during that span.
Those stats had Rich Tracy, of Windsor Locks, extra careful as he took his motorcycle out.
“I would say yeah, because there’s more drinking around the holidays, so you gotta watch out for people being impaired,” he said.
AAA said holiday travel could continue through Wednesday, with some people returning from trips and others starting theirs. Some people vacation the week after Labor Day, as the holiday marks the end of the peak vacation period for many locations.
That can lead to lower costs, smaller crowds and even seasonal events and activities.
