WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — Thousands of flights took to the sky, people hit the road, and the trains were rolling Sunday as people headed home from the Thanksgiving holiday.
The FAA says 46,790 flights were scheduled. It was projected to be the second busiest travel day. Tuesday had 48,082 flights scheduled. Julia Reel of Madison was heading back to Michigan for college.
"I actually didn’t leave that much time for the airport. I board in about 15, 20 minutes, so probably should’ve expected a little bit more busyness," the University of Michigan student said. "It was nice to have a little break."
Flights came in and out of Bradley International with few delays. Hyacinth Reid, Middletown, flew back from spending the holiday in Florida with family.
"We didn’t have any problem. It was just smooth," she said.
Reel says there was some more traffic on the drive from the shoreline town to the airport. Many people took their travels on the ground including Michael Theriault who took a train to Union Station in Hartford.
"It was busy and there was a lot of people on the train, but they were on time. The buses were on time so everything worked out perfect. I’m glad I decided to take public transportation rather than driving. Much less of a hassle," he said. "Maybe Black Friday, the shopping wore people out. A lot of people were sleeping."
Connecticut State Police were also busy Thanksgiving week, but not as busy as last year. From Wednesday to Sunday, police responded to 5,649 calls for service. That's down from 7,500 in 2021 and 7,181 in 2020.
338 accidents were reported with three of them being fatal in Wallingford, West Haven, and Milford, respectively. 2021 had 543 accidents with one fatality.
36 DUI arrests were made this year and 247 speeding citations. There were 787 additional infractions for violations like distracted driving, seatbelt use, and unsafe lane change. 2021 had 501 speeding violations. 2020 had 211.
The FAA projects Christmas weekend to be the sixth most popular holiday travel weekend this year. Indigenous Peoples' Day in October took the top spot this year followed by Juneteenth, Presidents Day, Labor Day, and Veterans Day. Thanksgiving didn't make the list even though it was number one last year.
Many airlines told FOX61 they had increased staffing to make sure people could enjoy the holiday season after a summer of cancellations and delays due to staffing shortages
Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at ablack@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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