Hotels in cities in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 saw record revenue increases, according to a new analysis published by CoStar’s STR.
05.04.2024 - 20:27 / cntraveler.com
Millions of people are expected to travel to see the total solar eclipse on April 8. As a result, large swaths of the country could be faced with traffic jams and flight delays in the coming days, government agencies warn.
“This rare event may be a once-in-a-lifetime for some, but could have widespread impacts on the traveling public,” Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrator Shailen Bhatt said in a video message in late March. “So please plan ahead to arrive early, and, if you can, stay put to avoid traffic congestion.”
According to the FHWA, 32 million Americans live within the eclipse path—which sweeps from the Mexican border in Texas up to the Canadian border in Maine—and millions more are expected to travel into the zone for the event. That means even those who aren't traveling for the eclipse should prepare for crowds of umbraphiles in many parts of the country, particularly at and around certain airports and roadways.
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert flagging that the already busy spring break week will be exacerbated by eclipse-related travel. While the peak travel day was Thursday, April 4 (with 50,670 scheduled flights), fliers should also expect busy airports on Friday, April 5, the FAA says.
The agency has even issued a domestic notice warning of “possible impacts to air traffic and airports along the eclipse path” from April 7 to April 10. Higher volumes of traffic are expected at airports of all sizes within the eclipse zone, especially in the greater Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Memphis regions. Aircraft may be subject to potential airborne holding and reroutes, the notice says, and arrivals to some airports could possibly be restricted due to the increased volume. For travelers, all that could result in flight delays, traffic jams on the way to the airport, a lack of parking spots, and long security lines.
During the 2017 solar eclipse, some traffic jams lasted between 7 and 15.5 hours.
While the last solar eclipse visible from the United States was just a few years ago ago in 2017, the anticipation for this year's is even greater. One reason for this (in addition to the duration of totality being almost double in length this time) is the fact that the 2024 eclipse path is much wider and more densely populated than 2017's.
“What makes it even more appealing is that there are so many major cities and populated areas along the path of totality this time,” Expedia travel expert Christie Hudson tells Condé Nast Traveler, citing Austin, Dallas, Dayton, and Indianapolis as 2024 eclipse hot spots.
The travel booking company has seen searches for hotels within the path go up 1,100% compared to the
Hotels in cities in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 saw record revenue increases, according to a new analysis published by CoStar’s STR.
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