The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Security, lines, traffic all part of the deal
The three-day weekend is always a big one for travelers and plenty of them queued up in security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday.
Trade group Airlines for America said that Friday was the busiest day for airline passengers across the U.S., with 16.5 million passengers, a 3.5 percent increase from last year over the busy Labor Day travel period.
The Atlanta Police Department is prepared for a Labor Day weekend that will draw at least 700,000 people and increased traffic, a Thursday press release said. “The diversity of our events is an important part of what makes the City of Atlanta a unique, multifaceted destination,” Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said in a statement. “We hope everyone has a great time and enjoys the best Atlanta has to offer. Our officers will be out among the crowds and stand ready to serve.”
The holiday weekend got off to a bumpystart on the highways as the southbound Downtown Connector was shut down nearly two hours on Friday after a crash blocked multiple lanes and created a traffic nightmare for those headed toward Hartsfield-Jackson. WSB traffic reporter Mark McKay said the crash involved two vehicles and observed Atlanta firefighters making an extrication from one of the vehicles that overturned and crashed into a lane barrier at the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive exit.