Airport off-limits for eclipse viewing

Not just anyone can stroll into Jackson Hole Airport come Aug. 21.

Owing to the strip's location along the centerline of the solar eclipse's path of totality, airport staff will stage along the entrance road to make sure people have boarding passes, someone to pick up or a legitimate reason for being there.

“The airport is going to be open and operational that entire day for business purposes,” Assistant Director Dustin Havel said. “But we will be handling the traffic and metering it as it comes, because we don’t want to be viewed as a place to see the eclipse.”

Owners of private jets and charter plane operators hoping to view the eclipse from the sky will also have to plan accordingly. A 1-hour runway closure will be instituted immediately before and after the approximately 2-minute totality strikes at 11:35 a.m.

“We’ll essentially do a ground hold,” Havel said. “In essence we’ll close the runway for 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after totality, except for emergencies.”

An additional 15 flights will be inbound to Jackson Hole Airport between Aug. 18 and Aug. 23 — three more per day than normal. Though the flights generally are arriving during non-peak travel times, Havel dissuaded travelers from arriving at the last minute.

“Anyone that’s going to be traveling in and out,” he said, “expect additional traffic and allow additional time.”