As Florida is bracing for Hurricane Ian to slam into its coast, thousands of people are getting out of the state and some are making their way to Connecticut.
“I’m just happy to be home!” Jeanne Tellier of Ludlow, Vermont, said.
People that arrived at Bradley International Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight a little after 2 p.m. were some of the last to get out of Tampa International Airport before it shut down operations at 5 p.m.
“I guess you can say we’re lucky,” Jonathan O’Connell of Fern Park, Florida, said.
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While they are grateful to be out of the storm’s path, travel experts say Ian’s impact could leave some people stranded through Saturday.
“I think we were all kind of overjoyed on the flight because we wanted to make it out, because we could see the storm sort of rolling in, the weather starting to get really cloudy and so forth, so just feeling really good about getting out,” Conrad Beckles, of Tampa, said.
New Englanders on vacation were coming home on that flight.
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“Supposedly relaxing and unwinding. And it wasn’t exactly relaxing or unwinding!” Cindy Bell-Dean of Pittsfield, Mass., said.
There were also Florida residents intentionally getting away from home.
“I planned my trip ahead of time. Some of the flights towards the end of the week got canceled, so I knew I had to get out early,” Beckles said.
Another flight arriving this morning brought Orlando residents, who were taking precautions with their homes.
“Pretty much bolted everything down, windows, put the board in the windows,” Raul Lozada, of Orlando, said.
While these travelers are grateful to be out of the storm’s path, some still have family struggling to get out of Florida.
“I’m a little bit nervous because my sister is still waiting to get her flight out of there, which is tonight,” Kate Reed, of Brattleboro, Vermont, said.
At Wethersfield Travel, Vice President Melissa Albright said Hurricane Ian is not just affecting people coming and going from Florida, but also impacting clients in other parts of the world.
“So I actually do have clients that are flying home from Italy on Thursday, and their flight from Charlotte to Tampa is canceled,” Albright said.
With hurricane season stretching two more months, she advises vacationers to take advantage of travel insurance.
At the time of booking, you should always consider travel insurance, because unforeseen things come up all the time with weather. Especially right now during hurricane season,” Albright said.
At Bradley, Ian caused just one flight cancellation Tuesday afternoon, but airport officials say travelers should pack patience in coming days.
“Certainly as the hurricane moves through the Florida area, we anticipate cancellations and delays,” Alisa Sisic, Connecticut Airport Authority's public information officer, said.
“So at this time, we’re encouraging people traveling to certainly check in with their airline to confirm that their flight is still on time and that it’s even operating," she continued.
Airport officials say the best way to stay on top of the evolving travel situation is to follow updates from individual airports and to download airline apps.
