Delta offering path-of-totality flight for April’s solar eclipse
Atlanta-based Delta Air lines will have several flights on April 8 with a view of the total solar eclipse, including one specially designed to follow the path of totality.
Delta has put seats on sale for the specially timed flight that will depart from Austin at 12:15 p.m., bound for Detroit on an Airbus A220-300, an aircraft type with “extra-large windows.” The flight aimed at giving passengers the best chance at viewing the eclipse from a plane, according to the airline.
“Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers,” said Eric Beck, Delta’s managing director of domestic network planning, in a written statement.
However, there are a number of factors that could foil a quest for top-notch views of the eclipse from the sky, including air traffic control delays, weather that could disrupt the flight path — or a middle or aisle seat.
Delta said it also has other regularly scheduled flights on April 8 that should offer at least some view of the eclipse, including:
— Flight 5699 from Detroit to White Plains, New York
— Flight 924 from Los Angeles to Dallas-Fort Worth
— Flight 2869 from Los Angeles to San Antonio, Texas
— Flight 1001 from Salt Lake City to San Antonio, Texas
— Flight 1683 from Salt Lake City to Austin, Texas
Delta meteorologist Warren Weston noted that the April 8 eclipse is the last total eclipse over North America until 2044, and that it will last twice as along as as the 2017 eclipse, with a path nearly twice as wide.
