Holiday travelers take to Georgia highways

ATLANTA - Bill Sanders drove to Atlanta Thursday night, hoping to avoid Memorial Day weekend traffic. But it didn&#39;t quite work out that way. <br> <br> The Jackson, Mississippi, native said, ``I drove here from Kentucky. It was bad when I came. Traffic is always a problem. If it&#39;s worse now wait until the weekend. It&#39;s really going to be bad.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Georgia State Patrol is expecting 800,000 drivers to hit Georgia highways this weekend for the first get away chance for summer. The weather is expected to be nice with mid-80s temperatures, which means traffic will be heavier around recreational areas, such as Six Flags over Georgia and Lake Lanier. <br> <br> Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said, ``It will be a heavily traveled holiday period. This is usually one of the top three deadliest holiday periods. It&#39;s usually second or third each year behind Thanksgiving.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is expecting about 745,000 passengers to travel through the airport -- with about 233,000 leaving Friday. <br> <br> A spokesman for AirTran Airways in Orlando, Florida, Ted Hutcheson, said Florida seems to be one of the most popular travel destinations, along with Boston, Chicago and New York. <br> <br> Hutcheson said the weekend will be quite profitable for the airline compared to last year. Since then, AirTran has added about 20 flights to Hartsfield and six new travel destinations.