Airlines are winding down operations in Florida as Hurricane Irma approaches the state, and travelers are scrambling to get where they want to go before the storm.

One Norwalk teen who's a freshman at the University of Miami flew into Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, Thursday afternoon, much to his father's relief.

"We were up most of the night last night trying to make sure no matter what happens, he made it on this flight, because if he didn't make this flight, there was no way out," says Geoff Marcus,  the student's father. "I mean, there's no other path out of there. There's no way of driving out of there. There's no way of renting cars. He's 18 years old -- they're not going to rent him a car. There's no other way of leaving."

Authorities have already ordered mass evacuations in southern Florida, including Miami-Dade County.

At the airport, where flights to and from different Florida airports have already seen delays, News 12 Connecticut met people from the Sunshine State who traveled here for work and were scrambling to book last-minute flights home to prepare for the storm.

Bernie Brown, of Tampa, Florida, came to Stamford on business, he says. He was supposed to go home Thursday, but after calling ahead, he says he decided to stay here.

Airlines have already canceled hundreds of flights to and from major airports, including in Miami and Fort Lauderdale in the next few days, but some relief volunteers and Florida natives are trying to fly down before the storm hits.

A flight to West Palm Thursday morning saw a 90-minute delay. An incoming flight from Fort Myers was 40 minutes late, and there will likely be cancellations in the coming days.