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Millions in New England traveling for Thanksgiving weekend

HARTFORD — The hustle and bustle of holiday travel is in full effect on the eve of Thanksgiving. It is arguably the busiest travel day of the year. Close ...
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HARTFORD -- The hustle and bustle of holiday travel is in full effect on the eve of Thanksgiving. It is arguably the busiest travel day of the year.

Close to 2 million people are expected to hit Connecticut roadways, which, according to AAA, is the most in nearly a decade.

If you will be traveling by car, be sure to check your battery and tire pressure before your trip.  Also, with Thanksgiving gas prices the lowest they have been since 2008, fill your tank, as an unexpected traffic jam could hold you up and possibly run you out of gas.

"What you thought was just a few minutes or just a short period of time in the car might be a lot longer," said AAA spokesperson Amy Parmenter. "Before you know it, you'll be running on empty and calling AAA."

AAA says it responded to almost 500 lockouts over the holiday weekend last year, and is asking drivers to take it slow.

If you have plans to travel by plane, airport operators and TSA officials are reminding people to arrive two hours before your scheduled departure.

The amount of passengers that will travel through airports this holiday weekend will be up close to 40 percent. There will be more staff at airports which should help ease the long lines. And, to make security a little easier, pack as much in your checked luggage rather than in a carry-on.

Amtrak, who says this is its busiest time of the year, plans to add more trains to accommodate the close to 800,000 people that are expected to board trains for holiday travel.

And, new this year for Amtrak, is text APB 11, which officials urge you to use if you if you see something suspicious. The text alert will go straight to the Amtrak police department who will immediately assist any way it can.

At Hartford's Union Station, bus travelers reported delays of 45 minutes to an hour. "This year, it's a little bit busier than the last time I went," said Natasha Nieves, taking a bus to New York City. "I heard that they have like an hour to 45 minute delays for all the buses today. And coming here, the traffic was dead, so I couldn't believe that."

Another traveler said his bus trip from Worcester to Bridgeport has taken hours longer than expected because of sold-out buses. "In total, it's taking me eight hours, and it should just be a two-hour ride," said Fernando Pinoargote.

For traffic information, go here.

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