TAMPA, Fla. — All that smoke in the northeast is having a ripple effect on airline flights coming in and out of the Tampa Bay area.
Dozens of flights were delayed at Tampa International Airport Thursday, and more were likely in the coming days. In a tweet Thursday, TPA said low visibility caused by smoke in the northeast was causing delays, advising travelers to check their flight statuses.
Maureen St. Guillen lives in St. Petersburg now but Thursday she was heading to visit relatives. The thick smoke had her checking her flight status.
“Because I want to see if my flight is going to be delayed or canceled because of the weather,” St. Guillen said.
The flight status boards at Tampa International Airport told the story with dozens of flight delays coming and going. Most are in the northeast. People arriving from cities there were happy to be — here.
“Super glad! I got off the plane and I just took a deep breath,” Stephanie Schreiner said. “Super glad, super nice to see clear skies, and no smoke in the air.”
Schreiner and her boyfriend, Jason Benoit, had just flown in from Philadelphia, where they say the air was barely breathable.
“It was horrible. I had to walk extra slowly yesterday. To catch my breath,” Schreiner said. “Even though I usually don't struggle walking at a faster pace around the city I really had to slow down. Because I was really struggling.”
“The whole sky was red also, rather than fog just turning everything white,” Benoit said. “It kind of looks like the apocalypse.”
For those departing it meant packing some extra face coverings.
“I have an extra face mask with me in my bag,” St. Guillen said. “As well as my check in bag as well as my pocketbook.”
And for those arriving it was chance to literally breathe easier.
“You see the sun. Back home, there's no sun,” Kathy Maxey, visiting from Pennsylvania, said. “You can't see it.”
Most were just hoping that by the time they head back to the northeast the smoke will have cleared.
“Some rain. We need some rain,” passenger Donna O’Connor said.
“Hopefully everything goes away. Hopefully everything moves through.” Benoit said. “It kind of looks like a pocket moving down so, hopefully by the time I get back up there it's clear.”