Delta offering flight from Texas to Michigan to see total solar eclipse from the air
(CBS DETROIT) - The 2024 total solar eclipse will cross the United States on Monday, April 8, and Delta is making sure you can see it in the air.
The airline is offering a special flight from Austin, Texas, to Detroit to see the eclipse in its totality. According to a press release, Flight 1218 will depart from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 12:15 p.m. CT (1:15 p.m. ET) and land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 3:20 p.m. CT (4:20 p.m. ET).
Delta Flight 1218 was sold out as of Tuesday, Feb. 20. Those who missed out on snagging a ticket for Delta Flight 1218 are in luck, as Delta announced on Feb. 26 that it added a second flight. Delta Flight 1010 departs from Dallas (DTW) at 12:30 p.m. CT and will arrive at DTW at 3:20 p.m. CT (4:20 p.m. ET).
Delta Flight 1010 is operated on an A321neo, which is a larger plane than Delta Flight 1218, allowing more customers to experience the eclipse.
Delta will fly an A200-300 aircraft for most flights, which features extra-large windows.
Didn't get tickets for the flight from Austin to Detroit? Delta has other flights available:
DL 5699: Detroit (DTW) to White Plains, New York (HPN), departing at 2:59 p.m. ETDL 1010: Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Detroit (DTW), departing at 12:30 p.m. CT
DL 924: Los Angeles (LAX) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), departing at 8:40 a.m. PTDL 2869: Los Angeles (LAX) to San Antonio (SAT) departing at 9 a.m. PTDL 1001: Salt Lake City (SLC) to San Antonio (SAT) departing at 10:08 a.m. MTDL 1683: Salt Lake City (SLC) to Austin (AUS), departing at 9:55 a.m. MT
"This flight is the result of significant collaboration and exemplifies the close teamwork Delta is known for — from selecting an aircraft with larger windows to determining the exact departure time from Austin and the experiences at the gate and in the air," Eric Beck, managing director of Domestic Network Planning, said in a statement. "Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers."
To book a flight, visit the Delta Air Lines website.
According to NASA, parts of Michigan will experience the total solar eclipse as it crosses 13 states. Residents in southeast Michigan can view its totality just before 3:15 p.m. Eastern time.
Before it enters the United States, it will cross over parts of Mexico. The pathway continues through North America in Canada, where it will exit the continent on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland.
"The April 8 eclipse is the last total eclipse we'll see over North America until 2044," Warren Weston, Delta Air Lines lead meteorologist, said in a press release. "This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one that occurred in 2017, and the path is nearly twice as wide."
Southwest Airlines is also offering special flights with a view of the eclipse. Tickets for the St. Louis to Houston flight are going for $224.
WN 1252: Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), departing at 12:45 p.m. CDTWN 1721: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Indianapolis International Airport (IND), departing at 12:50 p.m. CDTWN 1910: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), departing at 1:20 p.m. CDT
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