AUSTIN, Texas — We're just 13 days away from the total solar eclipse, and a lot of people are expected to visit Central Texas to view it.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning airports within the path of totality to be ready for more traffic, and officials say they are ready.
Central Texas is set to plunge into darkness in the middle of the afternoon on April 8. John-Paul Clarke, a professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at the University of Texas, said with this comes some preparations for airports.
"What you find is a lot of people will be flying in on commercial, but also on private jets as well, and general aviation aircraft. And so, there's going to be a lot of people parked at Austin's airport," Clarke said.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) spokesperson Bailey Grimmett said the airport has made sure to staff up. She said with Austin in the path of totality, the city will be a popular destination.
"We do want passengers to check their flight status because we have heard from the FAA – they put out a notice that potentially, flights might be impacted, the operations might be impacted," Grimmett said.
The airport isn't the only spot expecting delays. State Highway 71, right outside AUS, is busy on a good day. And on the day of the eclipse, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is warning drivers to expect heavy traffic and sudden stops,
TxDOT is also warning drivers to be on alert for distracted pedestrians looking up and warning drivers not to wear eclipse glasses while driving.
"They're expecting a lot of people to be getting in cars and driving out to places where it's in the peak of the eclipse," Clarke said.
Grimmett said with all of the driving expected, rental car partners at the airport are in for a big wave as well.
"People might be driving in from who knows where, different state, different city, coming in to Texas to see the eclipse. And they got that rental car from a different city, and now they're coming to Austin to drop it off and then fly on out of here," Grimmett said.
Both Clarke and Grimmett agree that although the eclipse is a rare phenomenon, safety and preparedness are already taken care of.