Next Month’s Eclipse Could Impact Air Travel in the U.S.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday issued a warning for travelers and airlines scheduled to fly on April 8, the date of the upcoming total solar eclipse.

According to the FAA, pilots and travelers flying through certain airports should be prepared for operational changes, including holdings, reroutes, and delays, along with higher-than-normal traffic, particularly during peak travel times.

The airports that are expected to be impacted are those within 50 miles of either side of the eclipse, including airports around Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Memphis. Some notable airports that could be impacted include Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, Patrick Leahy Burlington International in Vermont, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio, and Dallas Love Field in Texas.

The eclipse will be visible from 13 U.S. states, transiting a narrow path from the southwest U.S. to the northeast U.S. from about 2:30 p.m. EDT to 3:40 p.m. EDT. Even as the FAA warns that it could impact air travel, some airlines have made an effort to market flights during the eclipse as the perfect way to experience it.

That includes Delta Air Lines, which added a new flight specifically for the event— Delta has scheduled flight 1218 from Austin to Detroit around the solar eclipse. The flight leaves Austin at 12:15 p.m. local time and lands in Detroit at 4:20 p.m. local time, which means the plane will be in the air, in the eclipse’s path, specifically during the viewable minutes.

Delta is flying the route on an A220-300 with extra-large windows, specifically chosen to give flyers the best chance of “safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak.”