One week from today, Southwest will celebrate an exciting moment in the lives of millions of Americans: a total solar eclipse visible in a coast-to-coast celestial shadow that will temporarily envelop Southwest cities from Portland, OR, to Charleston, SC.
There are several scheduled flights most likely to experience maximum effects of the eclipse on August 21, and we’re bringing Customers on those flights some commemorative flare with special viewing glasses and cosmic cocktails.
"Not to throw too much shade but with 3,857 flights scheduled to operate that day using our all-Boeing 737 fleet, we'll be unmatched in offering hundreds of seats in the air over the continental U.S. that morning with a potential view of the rare sight," said Warren Qualley, Manager Meteorology for Southwest. "We plan to showcase the glow of our everyday Hospitality in a different light on these celebratory flights in our summer flight schedule and our team of Meteorologists is working hard to provide clear viewing* of this solar spectacle from our flights! The next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. won't occur until April 8, 2024, so don't miss this opportunity!"
Network & Schedule Planners modeled the operational day against projections of the umbra and penumbra--shadows cast by the moon's eclipse of the sun. On August 21, the scheduled Southwest flights with the greatest likelihood of offering those in the air the best view are:
Southwest Flight #1375 departing Seattle-Tacoma at 8:50 a.m. PDT for St. Louis
Southwest Flight #1368 departing Portland at 9:05 a.m. PDT for St. Louis
Southwest Flight #1969 departing Denver at 9:50 a.m. MDT for Atlanta
Southwest Flight #1577 departing Denver at 10:20 a.m. MDT for St. Louis
Southwest Flight #301 departing Denver at 10:20 a.m. MDT for Nashville
Not planning on traveling that day? Don’t worry—you can still follow along on the Southwest Facebook page where we’ll be livestreaming the action.
*Looking directly at the sun is never recommended, but one can safely observe an eclipse with specialty-rated solar filters.