Hurricane Matthew Impacts Travel Plans for New Englanders

With Hurricane Matthew impacting much of the east coast, some travelers are changing their vacation plans, while others are moving forward as planned.

In Methuen, Massachusetts, Rite Way Travel agent Josephine Toscano says she changed vacation plans for about six of her clients Thursday morning alone.

"It has been hectic," she said. "It's a lot of people not knowing what's going to happen."

Toscano expects a lot more vacation changes in the next several days. She is just one of many travel agents scrambling as Hurricane Matthew powers toward parts of the east coast. Thousands of flights have been cancelled and some hotels are closing.

"You have to feel bad because it is no one's fault. People are scrambling to make changes. They've probably had their vacations planned for 4-5 months. And now here you are a couple of days before you're going to go."

Toscano says all the hotels, airlines and resorts she is working with have been accommodating. She says so far, she has not cancelled any vacation plans.

Meanwhile, at Logan International Airport, many people are traveling in spite of the hurricane.

People traveling to Walt Disney World this weekend won't be able to visit the park until Saturday. Disney closes at 5 p.m. on Thursday and will remain closed through Friday. Still, Jennifer McDonald of Boston says she and her best friend have not changed their plans.

"I'm supposed to be going to Disney World, but I'm currently flying into Tampa," she said. "That's where we were diverted to."

She has faith they will make it to Disney's resort before Hurricane Matthew makes landfall.

"I know that people say if you're going to be stuck in a hurricane in central Florida Disney is the safest place you could be because they build everything specifically to withstand hurricanes," said McDonald.

Thursday morning, Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport announced all flights in and out of the airports were cancelled. The airport in Orlando announced all flights there would stop at 8 p.m.

Charlotte O'Connor, from the Daytona Beach area, said she and her husband weren't taking risks. They push their flights to Boston one day ahead of their original schedule.

"I came in on a jet blue flight out of Jacksonville," said O'Connor. "I'm very happy to be out of town."

O'Connor said leaving home meant closing their storm shutters and wishing for the best.

"I'm really worried about my friends who stayed there," she said. "There are no hotels within like 300 miles. I mean, you cannot get a place to stay there."

At the Boston Logan International Airport multiple JetBlue flights to Florida and South Carolina were cancelled throughout the day.

Flight Aware estimates an additional 1,300 flights will be cancelled on Friday.

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