Airports and roads in New England are set for a busy holiday weekend, and likely summer, as people look forward to enjoying themselves with warmer weather arriving.
Nationwide, AAA predicts that 42.3 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from home for Memorial Day Weekend, marking a 7% increase over last year.
“Massachusetts will be joining the many Memorial Day travelers with more than one million taking to the roads and skies. That’s a 6.9 percent increase from the almost 950,000 a year ago,” Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Northeast Mary Maguire said. "Of those, 917,000 will travel by car. And 81,000 will take to the skies, a 10.4 percent increase, meaning this summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”
The travel agency warns that travel time in major cities, including Boston, could see travel times double compared to normal.
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Saturday and Sunday expected to be better than Friday in terms of driving. The best times to drive, according to AAA, include in the morning or in the evening after 6 p.m.
As for where people are headed, AAA said that typical tourist destinations are popular choices, including Orlando, New York City, and Las Vegas.
Other cities — including Boston, Denver and Anaheim — were also included in AAA's list of popular choices.
“We are pleased to see an increase in travel in recent months, including ridership on the MBTA, the use of Logan Airport, and trips being taken on state roads,” Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca said in a news release. "We hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe Memorial Day Weekend and takes care to watch out for others, whether they are walking, biking, driving, or taking public transportation.”
MassDOT urged travelers earlier in the week to plan ahead, use online resources and take public transportation as much as possible when getting to their destinations over the holiday.
For many people Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of summer – it’s a chance to get together, enjoy the warmer weather and remember those in the military who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
