PARIS – As passengers inside the international departure terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport prepare to head back to Europe, they have more on their minds than their flights.
A group of travelers who Channel 2 spoke to were headed to London but they were thinking about Paris.
"It's shocking, it's terrible," John Bartlett, who lives in London, said. "My thoughts are for the French people, I think it's an awful situation."
An airport system spokesman tells Channel 2 the impact on direct flights from Intercontinental to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris will be minimal since the airport only services a handful of daily flights between the two cities. But passengers like Risto Pulkkannan of Finland, who is scheduled to work in Paris next week, are concerned travel plans could be canceled once they land back home.
"I don't know, because I'm on a business trip," Pulkkannan said. "Let's see what our company says about how if I go or not."
As they head back to Europe, they will have several hours on their flight to contemplate some very sobering thoughts.
"I mean, it can happen anywhere," said Robby Veders, heading back to Finland via London. "That's the terrible thing about terrorism. It can happen anywhere."
"I think the risk of incidents like this happening seems to be increasing all the time," Bartlett said. "That's really a big concern."
At last check, Air France was maintaining its normal flight schedule, so a 4:30 p.m. flight that left IAH for Paris was expected to be able to land, but passengers could likely face delays and extra security measures once they're on the ground.
Bullets holes are seen through the glass door of a cafe near Casa Nostra after the terror attacks in Paris, France. At least 120 people have been killed and over 200 injured, 80 seriously.