First Bay Area travelers arrive at SFO following Paris Attacks

News of the attacks spread quickly on social media and people in the Bay Area have anxiously been trying to reach loved ones in Paris.

The first flight out from Paris to San Francisco, which are sister cities, landed Saturday afternoon.


PHOTOS: Tributes to Paris from around the world


Arriving passengers gave firsthand accounts of the initial chaos.

"There were so many conflicting reports in those early hours that we really all just kind of huddled inside and kind of waited to find out what was really happening," said Carl Jaeger, a San Francisco resident.

Jaeger was one of more than 5,000 international visitors in Paris for an Airbnb conference.

"I went straight to Facebook and even before they had posted the safety check, I posted that I was home and safe here at the house," he said.

Brian Hanrahan who works for a French company, caught a flight early Saturday morning headed home to San Francisco.

"The line for passport control was almost two hours long. Normally they don't even man it, so you just walk right through they don't have people there. So, this was definitely a change," shared Hanrahan.

VIDEO: ISIS claims responsibility for Paris terror attacks


There's a change on the streets of Paris on Saturday.

"There is both a nervousness and at the same time a stronger friendliness," said Jaeger.

Jaeger snapped photos of people bicycling, dinning out and taking part in normal activities.



"Nobody should tolerate and have to live under these circumstances because that's exactly what they want," said Jaeger.

Jason Fry is in San Francisco for work, but says he'd rather be at home in France proving a point.

"Life has to carry on and I think that's the best way of defeating this thing, is continuing to live by our values," said Fry.

Values that involve feelings of love, not terror.

"Reach across the globe and say hello to someone that you know, whether they're connected to this horrible tragedy or not, make the world a smaller, more connected place," said Fry.

Meanwhile, a vigil was held outside the French Consulate in San Francisco Saturday evening as Bay Area residents and some French national came out to show their support.

Click here for full coverage on the terror attacks in Paris.