JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Things started to get back to normal at the Jacksonville International Airport Saturday morning following the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Friday.
Just hours after officers patrolled open areas with long guns, it looked like a normal day as travelers checked their baggage.
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In areas where people were checking in, a couple of extra airport police officers were the only sign of a break from the norm. Even still, what happened in Fort Lauderdale is in the minds of many.
Travelers said it was hard for them not to think about what happened Friday afternoon.
“This world is so unpredictable that it's sad that it's not surprising,” Cesar Castillejon said before flying to Minneapolis.
Todd Davis, whose daughter was flying out of JIA, said he thinks the shooting will make people more aware of their surroundings.
“Now that this happened, I think there's going to be heightened awareness,” Davis said. “I think that they're going to really crack down, and I think they will be on more alert for anything out of the ordinary.”
For some travelers, like Ray Daley, who lives in Ft. Lauderdale, the shooting hit much closer to home.
“My wife is picking me up at the airport,” Daley said. “It's my daughter's last day before going back to college. I'm really looking forward to getting home; however, compared to the tragedy that people experienced in Fort Lauderdale, my problems are minimal.”
Daley said he never thought something like this would happen so close to home. He and others said that as they watched what happened yesterday, they never realized something like that was even possible after getting off a flight.
“I think it gives us all pause when we are making our travel plans, and to be a little extra cautious about who is around us, what we are doing and where we are,” Daley said. “I was surprised that you're allowed to have both ammunition and a weapon and access to both at the same time.”
Other travelers said this won't change the way they travel too much.
“You don't think about that, but I choose not to live in fear, either,” Castillejon said. “So I don't live thinking about those types of things.”