A large swath of the continental United States is set to experience a total solar eclipse tomorrow morning (Monday morning USA date).
Airlines and private jet operators have capitilised on the once in a lifetime event to provide spectators the best possible viewing, be it from a convenient location on the ground or soaring high above in the comfort of an aircraft.
Jackson Hole/WY has had its ramp space booked out for months in advance as visiting aircraft descend on the airport set to have a grandstand view where the sun's light will be blocked by the moon for 2 minutes 20 seconds from 11.35am (1735Z / 0535 NZ time 22 August). Jackson Hole is a popular tourist destination all year round and a number of webcams are available to view so it might be worth dialing in to one of them to get a sense of the atmosphere!
This Wall Street Journal article from 18 August 2017 encapsulates the expansive aviation related activities around the event:
As millions of people move into position for Monday’s solar eclipse, some airlines are encouraging travelers to get a little closer to the action.
Southwest Airlines Co. has touted five of its flights that offer “the greatest likelihood” of catching “the best views” of the moon’s 93-minute journey past the sun on Monday, as seen in a swath of the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. Passengers on its Monday morning flights from Seattle to St. Louis and from Denver to Nashville, Tenn., could have some of the best views in the country, Southwest said.
The discount giant said it would offer “cosmic” cocktails and special viewing glasses to passengers on those flights, who should travel in darkness for at least a part of the daytime trip, depending on the weather.
Alaska Air Group Inc.’s Alaska Airlines is planning an invitation-only charter flight for astronomy enthusiasts and eclipse chasers. Departing Portland, Ore., at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the plane will fly west over the Pacific first, to give the passengers a sneak preview ahead of the rest of the U.S.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting so much additional air traffic from private jets and smaller planes that it has set up temporary air-traffic control towers in two cities in Oregon and two in Nebraska. The FAA also is bracing to monitor 100 high-altitude, unmanned balloons that students plan to release in 31 states to take photos of the rare event, last seen coast-to-coast in the U.S. in 1918.
Larger airlines said they aren’t marketing flights that track the eclipse’s route across parts of 14 states because they are leery of storms or air-traffic control delays that might rob fliers of the expected thrill. But accidental tourists who bought flights on those airlines may also get an extended view.
Regular flights to cities in the path of the eclipse—what astronomers call “the totality”—are also a hot ticket. Many are fully booked through Sunday as people race to terrestrial viewpoints. Flights are packed departing from those cities on Monday and Tuesday, as people return home.
American Airlines Group Inc. said its flights this weekend to Jackson Hole, Wyo., Portland, Ore., Kansas City, Omaha, St. Louis, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Charleston, S.C., are sold out. The top U.S. airline by traffic is warning fliers to check in early Monday afternoon and Tuesday to avoid long lines of fellow sky-watchers.
Delta Air Lines Inc. said it added flights this weekend to Jackson Hole, Nashville, Charleston and a few other cities to accommodate the demand. United Continental Holdings Inc. also said it is chock-a-block with customers this weekend.
Many regularly scheduled flights will also pass the path of the eclipse north to south. Some airlines said their pilots may alert passengers to the fleeting astronomical display. Airlines said the daytime darkness won’t pose any danger to pilots accustomed to flying in darkness and blinding sun. The FAA said it hasn’t issued any notices to pilots about the eclipse.
Millions of Americans who aren’t in the 10-state swath of the country in line for the best view of Monday’s eclipse will still try to get a glimpse the best they can.
But a fortunate few who are determined to get a front-row seat are fueling a surge in private-jet bookings to places such as Nebraska, Wyoming and southern Illinois.
Columbus-based NetJets, the world’s largest operator of private jets, is seeing a rise in flight bookings through Tuesday, tied to eclipse-viewing trips.
The company, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, operates and maintains planes for owners of timeshare-like fractional shares. It expects Monday to be its fourth-busiest day of the year, behind perennially busy dates around holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Most NetJets owners plan to view the eclipse from the ground, though a few have requested to be airborne during the eclipse (commercial airlines also have seen some demand from passengers seeking a sky-high view). While NetJets can’t absolutely guarantee optimal viewing conditions either in the air or on the ground, they have created flight plans that were approved by air traffic control officials.
Popular destinations are towns such as Jackson, Wyoming, and Grand Island, Nebraska, which are squarely in the prime viewing path for the eclipse.
Unlike commercial flights, which operate on set routes and fixed times, NetJets flights are limited only by the imagination and the availability of a suitable airfield. The company has nearly 500 bookings to and from destinations in the path of the eclipse, flying to 59 airports.
“Everybody will get a flight, but we’ve been advising owners that it’s going to be a very busy time ... We’ve been suggesting that owners considering flying a day earlier or a day later if they don’t need to travel on Monday,” said Diana Oreck, executive vice president of owner experience for NetJets.
Oreck, by the way, joined NetJets from luxury hotel brand Ritz-Carlton, highlighting NetJets’ need to provide high-end customer service to its well-heeled owners.
On Monday, she said, there have been a number of requests for such eclipse-tied food items as Moon Pies and Eclipse gum. The company will automatically supply eclipse-viewing glasses to those on flights to Jackson, Wyoming, the most popular eclipse destination on NetJets.
Oreck said NetJets always tries to glean information about the “context” of travel so they can cater to owners accordingly.
“If I know you’re traveling to a wedding versus a funeral, the crew is going to treat you differently,” she said.
One owner settled on going to Grand Island, Nebraska, to see the eclipse after chatting with a NetJets pilot who shared her fascination with astronomy. Captain Carl Walker will fly the owner there, where both of them plan to take photographs and enjoy the rare event.
NetJets has even set up a “war room,” Oreck said, where 20 or so workers at any given time are working among meteorology maps and banks of computers to track weather patterns and prepare for any special requests or itinerary changes that may arise.
“Things are going to be moving so fast,” she said. “But we’ll be ready.”
For more information on the eclipse check out:
