Experience the 2024 Solar Eclipse from the Sky on This Unique Flight

While witnessing a total solar eclipse from the ground is remarkable, envision seeing it from above. On April 8, 2024, Delta Air Lines is offering a fortunate group of customers this incredible opportunity as the next solar eclipse sweeps across North America.

The airline will operate a special flight from Austin to Detroit on April 8, 2024, designed to maximize eclipse chasers' time directly within the path of totality. Delta flight 1218 will leave Austin, Texas, at 12:15 p.m. Central Time and arrive in Detroit, Michigan, at 4:20 p.m. Eastern Time. This carefully planned itinerary ensures passengers have the best chance to witness the total solar eclipse from above, as the aircraft stays within the path of totality for an extended duration.

A total solar eclipse takes place when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, completely obscuring the sun's face and casting the sky into twilight. On a clear day, observers can glimpse the sun’s corona surrounding the moon during an eclipse. As the moon blocks sunlight, it casts a shadow that trails across the Earth. This shadow trail is known as the path of totality, where the sun is entirely hidden by the moon. On April 8, most locations within the path of totality will provide viewers with about four to five minutes of eclipse visibility (nearly double the duration of the 2017 eclipse, the last one visible in North America). This exclusive Delta flight could afford passengers several hours of viewing time, contingent on favorable weather conditions.

The flight will utilize an A220-300 aircraft, equipped with oversized windows for enhanced viewing experiences, as stated by the airline.

“Thanks to the dedication of teams throughout the company, our customers will soon have the chance to experience a total eclipse from the skies,” said Eric Beck, Delta’s managing director of domestic network planning, in a press release. Beck emphasized that this flight was made possible through “extensive collaboration...from choosing an aircraft with larger windows to fine-tuning the departure time from Austin and the overall experiences both at the gate and in the air.”

Act fast: As of our last update, Main Cabin tickets are flying off the shelves at $749, Comfort+ seats at $859, while First Class and Basic Economy tickets have already sold out.

The April 8 eclipse marks the last total solar eclipse visible from the continental U.S. until 2044, traversing a path across North America that includes regions in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The eclipse will initiate over the South Pacific Ocean, making landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast around 11:07 a.m. PDT. It will enter the United States through Texas, passing through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, before moving into Canada through Southern Ontario and continuing through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

If you miss out on Delta flight 1218, there are still five additional Delta routes on April 8 that offer eclipse-viewing opportunities:

• Detroit, Michigan (DTW) to Westchester, New York (HPN): Flight # DL 5699, departing at 2:59 p.m. EST (aircraft: ERJ-175)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Dallas (DFW): Flight # DL 924, departing at 8:40 a.m. PST (aircraft: Airbus A320)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to San Antonio, Texas (SAT): Flight # DL 2869, departing at 9:00 a.m. PST (aircraft: Airbus A319)
• Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC) to San Antonio (SAT): Flight # DL 1001, departing at 10:08 a.m. MST (aircraft: Airbus A220-300)
• Salt Lake City (SLC) to Austin, Texas (AUS): Flight # DL 1683, departing at 9:55 a.m. MST (aircraft: Airbus A320)