The ‘Luckiest’ Flights in the U.S. Will Take You Right Over Rainbows, According to a New Study

Key Points

There’s a pilot superstition that says that flying over a rainbow is supposed to be a sign of good luck—a new report recently identified the routes that’ll give you the highest chances of seeing one.

Every time I get to step on a plane, I always think about how lucky I am to live in a time where I can see the other side of the world in a few hours. But if you’re hoping to double your luck and see one of nature’s most charming displays while flying, the flight tracking network Wingbits has a few recommendations to make.

In late August, the company released a new report it compiled with the help of atmospheric physicist Elizabeth Austin, which identified the “luckiest” flights that any commercial air passenger can take—and it all came to be thanks to a popular pilot belief. 

“According to a popular and enduring pilot’s superstition, flying over a rainbow brings extreme good luck for the journey,” the team explained in its findings, which were shared with Travel + Leisure. Inspired by this belief, the team partnered with Austin to combine its flight tracking data with her meteorological analysis to find the flights most likely to directly fly through the most rainbow-dense locations on Earth. 

“The beauty of distributed flight tracking is that it captures patterns invisible to any single observer,” said Robin Wingardh, CEO and cofounder of Wingbits. “With Dr. Austin’s meteorological data, we were able to draw from the range of data provided by our global community to find the world’s ‘luckiest’ flight paths. We hope this brings a smile to travellers and perhaps inspires them to choose a window seat on their next journey.”

After looking at all the data, it named one special North American route starting from the U.S. as the luckiest of all: Virginia’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Canada. The flight passes over Niagara Falls, offering a high chance of rainbows.

“Situated between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, this powerful waterfall complex—made up of Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls—produces constant mist. Sunlight regularly creates full rainbows, particularly over Horseshoe Falls from late morning to early afternoon,” the report said.

But it’s not the only lucky flight you’ll find in the United States. The team found four more flights soaring over America’s skies, specifically routes that fly over the Owens Valley in California. Here, the unique ecosystem created by the desert basin, Sierra Nevada, and White Mountains creates a higher probability of rainbows. “Summer thunderstorms followed by clear skies often result in massive, wide-open sky rainbows that stretch across the entire valley floor,” the report stated.

Those specific routes include:

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
• San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
• SFO to LAS
• Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to SFO

There are, however, more flights around the globe for those looking to see a different side of the rainbow. Some other notable flights include:

• London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Croatia’s Dubrovnik Airport (DBV)
• Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU) to São Paulo International Airport (GRU) in Brazil
• Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Techo International Airport (PNH) to China’s Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG)

All of these routes fly over stunning bodies of water that generate the perfect amount of moisture for rainbows.

“These special flight paths truly span the globe, from sweltering South American rainforests to the icy fjords of Norway,” Austin said in the report. “Knowing that passengers on these lucky routes have a higher chance of flying directly over a rainbow adds something unique to their journey, and I hope they feel that connection to one of nature’s most uplifting phenomena.”