Spirit Airlines Takes Heat for Pilot's Hurricane Erin Decision
A Spirit Airlines flight set off alarm bells earlier this week when it appeared to fly through the path of Hurricane Erin.
Spirit Airlines Flight NK2298 left Philadelphia Monday bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time, Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm, though it has since been downgraded to a Category 2.
Air traffic X/Twitter account @FlightRadar24 tweeted a radar map that looked like it showed the plane flying right through the heart of the storm.
"Did Spirit take up the Hurricane Hunter mission?" the tweet asked.
Did Spirit take up the Hurricane Hunter mission? pic.twitter.com/OhYEPg9hl0
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 18, 2025
Spirit defends pilot's actions
As concerning as the radar shot from @FlightRadar24 may look, it does not accurately show if the plane was flying over or around the storm.
For what it's worth, Spirit Airlines said no one was injured and the plane was undamaged. The company also said its pilots and crew did not do anything dangerous or out of the ordinary.
"Safety is always our top priority," the airline said in a statement. "Our pilots followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to San Juan (SJU). Our Operations Control Center closely tracks weather systems and works with our pilots and ATC to determine flight paths that safely navigate around or above adverse weather conditions."
Not as crazy as it sounds
Believe it or not, experts say that flying through a hurricane isn't inherently dangerous, depending on the flight path an aircraft takes.
"Flying through a hurricane at altitude is not particularly hazardous, particularly if you are above the tops of the clouds and the turbulent layer," Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor John Hansman told Newsweek. "The winds are not a problem at altitude and it is common for aircraft to fly in high winds aloft in the jet stream. It is more hazardous to land or take off in those conditions where there are high winds and rain."