Getty A Delta jet in 2016.
While most airlines are trying to stay away from the Caribbean while Hurricane Irma continues to batter islands there, a single Delta Flight tried the impossible. Just before the eye of the Category 5 hurricane reached Puerto Rico, Delta Flight 431 landed at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and took off early 52 minutes later to head back to New York. The plane’s journey went viral on Twitter as flight watcher Jason Rabinowitz chronicled every step of the flight.
You really want to fly into SJU during a category 5 hurricane, DL431?
Everyone else has turned around.
As Rabinowitz noted, the flight actually took off late from JFK, leaving at 8:39 a.m. instead of 8:05 a.m. While everyone else was heading back, the pilots on the flight pressed on, while the outer bands of Irma were over Puerto Rico.
Even before the flight landed, Rabinowitz noted that Delta was estimating that Delta Flight 302, which was using the same plane, would leave early after 431 landed in San Juan. It landed just before noon.
Once it landed, Rabinowitz tweeted that it was now time for the “quickest turn ever.”
t.co/YvkZOukBOS already listing the return flight to JFK as “boarding”
Even as the wind started picking up, the plane began taxiing to leave the airport. It created an incredible image of the plane leaving between an outer band of Irma.
Amazingly, the plane spent just 52 minutes on the ground.
Now DL302 has to climb out of SJU, and they’re doing so between the outer band of #Irma and the core of the storn. Amazing stuff.
At 1:23 p.m. ET, Rabinowitz tweeted that the flight was still at the outer bands of the storm, flying between clouds.
Well, that’s the end of that story. DL302 is reaching the edge of #Irma‘s outer bands.
Guess the flight crew serves lunch now…?
Two hours later, the air traffic control tower at San Juan was evacuated.
This Delta flight was the last both in and out of SJU.
The air traffic control tower has now been evacuated. t.co/8gc4NcAJjK
Amazingly, the flight landed at 4:!5 p.m. ET in New York, 46 minutes ahead of schedule.
If you happen to be flying on Delta now, your flight to Puerto Rico isn’t going to happen. Delta announced that it will be offering a waiver to those who have tickets to or from San Juan between September 5 and 9. You have until September 12 to re-book and your new trip must start no later than September 12. If you book a flight that leaves or arrives after September 12, you will have to pay the difference if there is one.
The waiver is also available for flights to or from these airports for travel dates between September 6 and 15:
Daytona Beach, FL (DAB)
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, FL (FLL)
Fort Myers, FL (RSW)
Fort Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
Freeport, BS (FPO)
Gainesville, FL (GNV)
Georgetown, BS (GGT)
Havana, CU (HAV)
Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
Key West, FL (EYW)
Melbourne, FL (MLB)
Miami, FL (MIA)
Nassau, BS (NAS)
Orlando, FL (MCO)
Panama City, FL (ECP)
Pensacola, FL (PNS)
Sarasota/Bradenton, FL (SRQ)
Tallahassee, FL (TLH)
Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater, FL (TPA)
West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
