US airline offers special flight to view total solar eclipse in April
Up for a total solar eclipse experience from the sky?
Delta Airlines is offering a special flight from Austin to Detroit on April 8, allowing travelers and eclipse chasers "to spend as much time as possible directly within the path of totality."
In a press release, the US airline said Flight 1218 will be on premium viewing under A220-300 as the aircraft has extra-large windows.
"The flight will depart from Austin at 12:15 p.m. CT and land in Detroit at 4:20 p.m. ET—timed to give those on board the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak," it said.
Delta is also offering "prime eclipse-viewing opportunities" via the following flights on the same day:
- DL 5699, DTW-HPN, 2:59 p.m. EST departure, ERJ-175
- DL 924, LAX-DFW, 8:40 a.m. PST departure, A320
- DL 2869, LAX-SAT, 9:00 a.m. PST departure, A319
- DL 1001, SLC-SAT, 10:08 a.m. MST departure, A220-300
- DL 1683, SLC-AUS, 9:55 a.m. MST departure, A320
Delta said it will also fly to AUS, San Antonio (SAT), and Little Rock, Ark. (LIT), among other destinations within the path of totality later in the day.
According to Warren Weston, the airline company's lead meteorologist, the April 8 eclipse is the last one that will be seen over North America until 2044.
“This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one that occurred in 2017, and the path is nearly twice as wide,” he said.