WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The hours leading up to Thursday night were a prime time window to get away from the winter storm bringing rain and wind to Connecticut; the state's major travel hubs were busy.
“On top of the stress from the holiday season itself, now you’ve got the storm coming in. So that’s an additional something to worry about,” said Clara Bustamonte of Hartford.
Bustamonte was supposed to be one of the more than 883,000 Connecticut residents traveling by car this holiday weekend.
“I wanted to go somewhere but because of the weather and everything else, I’m just going to stay home,” she explained.
The same can’t be said for the Dunleavy family from New Canaan. They are trying to escape the cold for colder, heading to Minneapolis by plane.
“I booked these tickets a while ago so we are hoping that we are in the sweet spot. The first flight out of here this morning to Minneapolis was canceled so we are saying our prayers and keeping our fingers crossed,” said Liz Dunleavy.
The concourse at Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks was bustling, but perhaps not as busy as expected with the arrival and departure board looking more like a game of roulette.
“Right now we are seeing primarily delays. We have a handful of cancellations. Naturally that could change at any minute which is why we are encouraging passengers to stay in close contact with their airlines,” said Alisa Sisic of the Connecticut Airport Authority.
From the runways and roads to the tracks. FOX61 visited Hartford’s Union Station which held some rail riders hoping the weather doesn’t halt their multi-leg journey to Thailand.
“I think it happens every year. Last year around this time there was a storm and I was able to fly out. You just go with the flow. If it works it works, if it doesn’t it doesn’t,” said Victor Zatsephine of Storrs.
AAA predicts over 1-million Connecticut residents will be traveling for the holidays. By car, it's 87% of travelers, 11% through the air and nearly 3% by train, bus or ship. That’s almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
“This year we are seeing an increase in holiday travel across the board,” added Tracy Noble of AAA.
No matter what form of transportation, steadily dropping gas prices have made it less expensive with prices about 31 cents cheaper than this time last year.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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