An AvGeek approach to eclipse viewing: From the sky!


I’ll be on the ground in southern California during the upcoming solar eclipse and almost certainly will not have a view of the event at all. In Oregon expectations are for total gridlock and pandemonium as way too many people descend on the area in hopes of clear skies. And I’m probably not going to win a seat on the charter Alaska Airlines is running.

So none of those are good opportunities for watching. But if you’re an AvGeek and also want a chance to watch the celestial performance there are some flight options that might suit your needs. Here’s a handful of flights the Ops team at Southwest Airlines put together for the best chance of catching a view based on geography, timing and typical flight plans:

Given those times/paths there are a few others I can think of that might be useful:

  • Alaska Airlines AS 3382 PDX-MCI (9:15a-2:15p)
  • Alaska Airlines AS 3442 PDX-AUS (9:40a-3:38p)
  • Alaska Airlines AS 2181 SEA-BOI (8:24a-10:59a)
  • American Airlines AA 1623 SEA-DFW (9:25a-3:25p)
  • United UA 1127 DEN-MCI (10:01a-12:45p)
  • United UA 573 DEN-MSP (9:46a-12:43p)
  • United UA 336 DEN-ORD (10:20a-1:46p)
  • United UA 410 DEN-ATL (9:54a-2:56p)
  • United UA 2385 DEN-ORD (9:25a-12:53p)
  • Delta DL 1816 DEN-ATL (10:20a-3:27p)
  • United UA 4684 DEN-STL (9:48a-1:00p)
  • United UA 3727 DEN-BNA (9:50a-1:26p)

I have no idea if they’ll really work, but seems like a decent chance on some of them. And United has a full hub at DEN so probably a few I missed there, too.

Also, don’t stare at the sun.

Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.


Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

3 Comments

    1. Awesome, Kaj…thanks!

      Guess I better read those guides on photographing an eclipse after all. 🙂

    2. At 65%, I’m not sure you would even notice, unless you were looking at the sun with eclipse viewing glasses.

Comments are closed.