In celebration of Saturday’s annular solar eclipse, Southwest Airlines is casting its sights forward to next year’s relatively rare celestial event. Since total solar eclipses in any given location are infrequent, occurring only once every few decades, the one upcoming on April 8, 2024, is destined to stir plenty of excitement.
The path of the 2024 solar eclipse’s totality (where the moon completely covers the sun) will pass across several U.S. states in which Southwest operates, such as Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Texas, among others. In anticipation, the carrier kicked off its countdown to next year’s cosmic occurrence by sharing its flights that are scheduled to pass in the direct and partial paths of the eclipse with the traveling public.
"Today's annular solar eclipse was an exciting sneak-peak of the total solar eclipse occurring next year, and our Meteorology and Network Planning Teams identified the best opportunities for a potential view of this breathtaking sight," David Dillahunt, Chief Meteorologist at Southwest Airlines, said in Saturday’s statement. "With our flight schedule, we're able to offer hundreds of seats in the sky to view the eclipse, and we look forward to showcasing our Hospitality on this day while celebrating with our Customers."
To come up with this list of mid-air opportunities to see the eclipse from an ideal vantage point, the airline’s Network and Schedule Planners modeled the operational day against meteorological projections of the umbra and penumbra—shadows cast by the moon as it passes between the sun and Earth.
On April 8, 2024, the following Southwest flights offer the greatest likelihood of giving customers onboard the best view of this astronomic phenomenon:
- Southwest Flight #1252: departs Dallas (Love Field) at 12:45 p.m. CDT for Pittsburgh
- Southwest Flight #1721: departs Austin at 12:50 p.m. CDT for Indianapolis
- Southwest Flight #1910: departs St. Louis at 1:20 p.m. CDT for Houston (Hobby)
These flights may also cross the path of totality during their scheduled operating time:
- Southwest Flight #955 departs Dallas (Love Field) at 12:50 p.m. CDT for Chicago (Midway)
- Southwest Flight #506: departs Milwaukee at 1:05 p.m. CDT for Dallas (Love Field)
- Southwest Flight #1734: departs Houston (Hobby) at 1:35 p.m. CDT for Indianapolis
- Southwest Flight #1682: departs Chicago (Midway) at 1:30 p.m. CDT for Austin
- Southwest flight #3108: departs Nashville at 1:40 p.m. CDT for Dallas (Love Field)
Remember that, to safely witness a total solar eclipse, it's essential to use proper eye protection—such as eclipse glasses or specialty-rated solar filters—during the partial phases leading up to totality. But, during the brief period of totality itself, when the sun is almost completely obscured, it is safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye, enabling viewers to fully appreciate the incredible spectacle of the sun's corona and an eerily darkened daytime sky.
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