At JFK, some hopeful, some nervous

Many people in the departure area inside Kennedy’s Terminal 8 Friday evening were staring at the departure board, which told them most flights were “on time” or “now boarding” while a loudspeaker announced canceled flights. Others were mulling about in confusion. But Litvia Joseph and Patricia Brook were smiling with anticipation.

Joseph’s boyfriend, Thobias Maggnuson, managed to catch a flight to Kennedy from his native Sweden, where they first met. At Kennedy, she was prepared to greet him with heart-shaped balloons and an airbrushed sign.

“I'm just glad this worked out that he can come in,” Joseph, 32, of Pine Bush, said. “I’ve been waiting four months.”

Nearby, Sandra Roleniatis sat with Tsuki, a show dog she co-owns who she said she had to fly home to Finland. Her flight is still scheduled to depart at 10:45 p.m., according to the flight board. She said she has not received updates from Finnair but that she is “nervous” the flight would be canceled, and noted the eight-hour voyage is already a “long time” for Tsuki.

“We’re either going to get on a plane or I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Roleniatis, 61, of Aspers, Pennsylvania, said.