The month of April will bless cities across North America with a rare and extraordinary event – a total solar eclipse. After 8 April, the US will only witness a similar event in August 2044, so this year’s eclipse has prompted the New York Times and National Geographic to add the cities in the path of totality to their must visit destinations in 2024, while Airbnb has already reported a 300% booking increase for the period around 8 April this year compared to the same period in 2023.
As people have already prepared their travels for seeing the eclipse on the ground, with the risk of having their views obstructed by unfavourable weather, Delta Air Lines has decided to create the best conditions for witnessing the rare celestial event. On 8 April, the airline is offering a special flight from Austin to Detroit, spending as much time as possible directly within the path of totality.
Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers.
Eric Beck, Managing Director of Domestic Network Planning
“The April 8 eclipse is the last total eclipse we’ll see over North America until 2044”, said Warren Weston, Delta Air Lines Lead Meteorologist. “This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one that occurred in 2017, and the path is nearly twice as wide.”
Delta flight 1218 will be specifically operated on an Airbus A220-300, which will offer especially premium viewing due to the aircraft’s extra-large windows. The flight will depart from Austin at 12:15 pm CT and land in Detroit at 4:20 pm ET — timed to give those on board the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak.
Planning the flight required the expertise of several teams, according to Eric Beck, Managing Director of Domestic Network Planning. Everything from selecting the right aircraft, with the widest windows, to deciding the optimal departure and arrival time and the “experiences at the gate and in the air” had to be coordinated between experts.
While flight 1218 is especially arranged to offer the best viewing experience, other Delta passengers will also be able to watch the eclipse in the air.
- DL 5699, DTW-HPN, 2:59 pm EST departure, Embraer ERJ-175
- DL 924, LAX-DFW, 8:40 am PST departure, Airbus A320
- DL 2869, LAX-SAT, 9:00 am PST departure, Airbus A319
- DL 1001, SLC-SAT, 10:08 am MST departure, Airbus A220-300
- DL 1683, SLC-AUS, 9:55 am MST departure, Airbus A320
Weather on the special flight or luckily booked on one of the other flights that pass through the path of totality, viewing the eclipse from above the clouds is bound to be an unforgettable experience.
