Travelers leaving Boston anxious ahead of Hurricane Helene
BOSTON - Travelers through Logan Airport were anxious to get to their destinations if they were in the path of Hurricane Helene churning from Florida's Gulf Coast to Tennessee impacting several states along the way. "It's definitely a little anxiety flying today I think," said Myra Traylor heading to Atlanta. "Today I'm concerned about turbulence and the plane leaving on time."
Kristina Owen, heading home to Atlanta says it's not a moment too soon. She was worried she might not have made it out if she didn't travel Thursday. "I want to be home in case anything happens at our house," Owen said. "We're expecting wind and maybe some trees down, but we'll see."
Flights canceled, delayed
Many were checking the board for flight updates, and it was flights out of Tampa and Fort Myers that were outright canceled, as Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday night on Florida's Gulf Coast, but there were other impacts.
"Our biggest concern is getting out, and our flight is already delayed one hour," said Rhonda Van Heest headed to West Palm Beach, Florida. "I've been watching the forecast since yesterday."
Peter and Amanda Hatalyk were headed to parents' weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, and already heard from their daughter about tornado warnings in the area. "She's from up here so she's not used to the warnings and was freaked out this morning. They went into the basement and it's all good," said Amanda Hatalyk.
Peter Hatalyk says he was nervous for her, but now relieved. "Just making sure that she was safe and there were no flooding or tornadoes," Peter said. "They had a couple of warnings, but nothing hit so it's good."
Changing travel plans
Airlines were also dealing with travelers changing their plans and trying to get out early ahead of Helene. Judy Haynes was among them leaving a day early for her Tennessee vacation. "We didn't want to go on Friday when the weather would be worse," Haynes said. "Leaving today we get there early and don't have any anxiety about flying in bad weather."
As Helene moves northwestward from Florida more cancelations or delays are anticipated, and travelers are urged to check their flights ahead of time.
