Hesitant Travelers Relieved After Arriving From Turkey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The first flight to touch down in Chicago from Turkey after the suicide bombing at the airport in Istanbul brought many happy reunions, and a sense of relief for travelers who were at first nervous to fly.
Hesitant was how most travelers described going through the airport in Istanbul after arriving in Chicago on Wednesday. They said security was heightened in Istanbul, providing a sense of relief.
Sarah Brenne, who now lives in turkey, returned to the Istanbul airport where at least 42 people died and more than 230 others were wounded just one day earlier in an attack by suicide bombers. She said there was tighter security at the entrance to the airport, and again at the gate.
"I was a little freaked out to begin with, but then I was there, I felt completely safe, security was extremely high," she said.
Her sleep-deprived mother, Anne Brooks, was all smiles as she hugged her daughter at O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday.
"It was pretty anxious, and I'm just happy to see her," Brooks said.
The hugs and squeezes were a little tighter for people who arrived on the first flight to Chicago from Tukey since the horrific series of explosions and shootings at the airport in Istanbul.
Among the feverish flow of frequent fliers, Turkish native Boran Mutlu saw his brother for the first time in year; family needed now more than ever.
"Anything can happen at any moment. So that's a little frustrating, considering most of my family is in Turkey as well," he said. "I haven't seen him in a year, so now we've to go have some drinks."
Others returning to Chicago from Turkey on Wednesday said they could see an area of the Istanbul airport roped off where the attack happened, but other than that they felt safe, and flights were running as scheduled.