First flight from Paris arrives at SFO after deadly terrorist attacks
(AP) - No queues, closed ticket offices and souvenirs shops are seen at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015.
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - United Flight 984 was the first to arrive at San Francisco International Airport from Paris on Saturday.
The anticipation was high at Gate G in the international terminal. It is where Loraine Mignod of Paris greeted her boyfriend while still thinking of the terror attacks that kept her home on Friday.
“It's just very scary because at first they told us 20 people dead, then 30, then 40 and it just kept increasing,” she said. “It was awful.”
Julien Signes of San Francisco said he was having dinner a half mile from the attack at the concert hall in Bataclan when he saw a panicked woman on the street without shoes.
“The lady, she was very loud on the telephone and she said, ‘I was in this show and some guys with machine guns came in’,” he said.
Signes said the area soon turned into what could only be described as a war zone.
Those same images kept Brian Hanrahan glued to the television in his Paris hotel. He said he was on a business trip with colleagues. All returned safely to San Francisco.
“I am definitely glad to make it home,” Hanrahan said. “I did not want to stay in Paris long. Just being home is nice.”
But for those who call Paris home, they can’t wait to get back.
“Life has to carry on and that's the best way of defeating these things…continuing to live by our values and supporting the French people,” Jason Fry, a Parisian, said.
Airports in Paris remained open Saturday, though passengers said security is tight.