Travelers try to slip into — and out of — of Logan before blizzard’s blast

By Katie Johnston, Globe Staff

Logan International Airport was bustling this morning with people relieved to be getting in, and out, before the blizzard hit.

Lori Jacobson of Mashpee was among the lucky ones able to rebook her Saturday trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Friday at 1 p.m., one of the last flights scheduled to leave the airport before the airlines shut down flight operations until at least Saturday afternoon. Jacobson, an emergency room nurse at Cape Cod Hospital, was headed for a Caribbean cruise with her 17-year-old daughter and a few co-workers. Her sister-in-law drove them into the airport and was planning to stay at Jacobson’s house to watch the her dogs.

“We’re deserting everybody: dogs, patients,” Jacobson said with a laugh, noting that the temperature in the Caribbean was in the 80s. “I’m going to put a cold cocktail in my hands.”

The airport buzzed as the first flakes began to fly, but it was far from a mob scene. The lines were fairly short at ticket counters and security, with some passengers dressed in snow boots and down coats and others sporting tennis shoes and sweats. At the Virgin America ticket counter, the board showed all the day’s flights canceled, except for an 8:35 a.m. flight to San Francisco.

Mike Oltmans and Janina Matuszeski of Cambridge, headed to Washington, D.C., with their 6-month-old twins to visit family until Monday, were also able to change their flight from Saturday to Friday morning. They were thankful to be making the trip but sad to miss the snow.

“I’ve always wanted to cross-country ski down Mass. Ave.,” Oltmans said.

Tom and Donna Clukey drove in from Smithfield, R.I., on Thursday night just in case the snow started flying before their Friday morning flight to Fort Myers, Fla. The Clukeys were taking a Caribbean cruise to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their wedding, which, ironically enough, was postponed by a day because of a snowstorm.