A deadly shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday prompted a heightened security presence at the Bay Area's busiest airport.
Security and police officers at San Francisco International Airport patrolled the facility with heavy firearms after five people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area.
San Francisco-bound passengers who departed from South Florida before the violence began were rattled to learn about the tragedy mid-flight.
"I was freaked out the entire time because we were watching it on the news on the plane and we were shocked that it happened," passenger Audrey Utschig said.
Fellow passenger Zanne Utschig was equally stunned.
"It's horrifying," she said. "We were in Terminal 1 and it happened in Terminal 2."
Local
A flight from San Francisco Friday morning that was scheduled to land in Fort Lauderdale later in the day was rerouted to Orlando. Passengers from that flight were shuttled to Fort Lauderdale while officials kept that airport shut down.
Passengers sitting on other planes at Fort Lauderdale during and after the attack were required to stay put on the tarmac hours as officials gained control of the scene.
NBC Bay Area's Bob Redell contributed to this report.
