Fighting Irish fan Jean Marie Massie is staying at a hotel just blocks away from the street where a man plowed his truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year in the French Quarter, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. Massie says security had increased from Tuesday to Wednesday and she expects the same at the stadium.
“I think it’s actually going to be safer,” Massie said. “Because of the attack they are going to have extra security at the game, and I know you can’t control everything in life, but I think it will be safer than a normal game would have been.”
And Massie got an email from her airline saying they were waiving flight change and cancellation charges for anyone affected by the attack.
“Both American and United at least are not charging anybody fees to change their flights because of what happened,” Massie said.
But many visitors had to or chose to leave town. Massie said people trying to scalp tickets dropped prices from several hundred to $30 to $40 apiece. She added that overall, she feels that city officials have responded quickly, and she feels safe but more cautious.