Leo Gillick
A hurricane isn’t the first place most people want their Spirit Airlines route to take. But one pilot almost made the disastrous mistake of doing just that.
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Footage from the plane’s route to San Juan out of Philadelphia shows it heading straight into the Category 4 hurricane. An image posted on FlightRadar24/7 shows the flight path of the Spirit Airlines on a collision course.
Did Spirit take up the Hurricane Hunter mission? pic.twitter.com/OhYEPg9hl0
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 18, 2025
Spirit Airlines has a reputation for cheap but sometimes unreliable flights. So, nobody was shocked that it was them and their pilots who decided to fly into the danger zone. As someone wrote, “This is the most Spirit Airlines thing that ever Spirit Airlines.” However, the plane was fine and managed to land only 40 minutes after the projected time.
The flight path shows the plane moving towards the center of the category 4 hurricane, but abruptly curving in another direction. It must have been a bumpy ride for all on board. I’m sure we’ve all felt the turbulence from even minor disturbances, let alone a mega storm.
All According to Plan Says Spirit Airlines
Despite the clear danger of a Category 4 hurricane, Spirit Airlines says it was all above board. “Our pilots followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to San Juan,” they told People. “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.”
So, although it looks very much like the plane entered the storm, realized what had happened, and turned around, apparently, it was planned. According to an air traffic coordinator speaking to USA Today, there may not have been as much turbulence as people may think. It seems they flew above the storm.
“The aircraft was at FL 370 (37,000 feet) and only light turbulence was reported in that area,” he told the outlet. “At that altitude, the aircraft would be above the significant weather with the worst activity to the north of the flight path.”
Still, flying a Spirit Airlines plane through, or over, a Category 4 hurricane is going to be a wild ride.
