Is Delta Flight 1218 Really The Best Way To View April 8’s Total Solar Eclipse?

20.02.2024 - 13:29 / forbes.com / April / Delta

Delta Air Lines has revealed that it’s offering a special flight for travelers who want to experience a total solar eclipse from the sky. On April 8, Delta flight 1218 will depart from Austin and land in Detroit, offering passengers a chance to view the solar eclipse “at its peak,” promises Delta.

It comes in the wake of the announcement of precisely-timed Southwest Airlines flights on April 8 from Dallas to Pittsburgh, Austin to Indianapolis and St Louis to Houston.

“This flight is the result of significant collaboration and exemplifies the close teamwork Delta is known for,” said Eric Beck, Managing Director of Domestic Network Planning. “Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers.”

There’s a saying among eclipse chasers: from the ground you experience an eclipse and from a plane you merely see it. However, what you can see from 30,000 ft. is highly sought-after.

Only from a plane is it possible to easily see the moon's shadow approaching—particularly if there are clouds below—but a private jet experience is very expensive. On April 8, specialist eclipse flight company T.E.I. Tours & Travel will fly two Cessna Citation X private jets from Kerrville, Texas to Mexico and literally chase the eclipse, extending totality from 4 minutes 26 seconds below to 6 minutes and 50 seconds.

This “Umbracept” experience costs in the region of $9,750 per person. At the time of writing, seats in the main cabin of Delta flight 1218 cost $1,357.

Delta’s offering isn't anywhere near as exclusive, of course, but for some eclipse chasers, this may seem like an unmissable opportunity. After all, being at 30,000 ft. will guarantee clear skies. With the odds of clear skies on April 8 on the ground at best 50/50 in the U.S. and Canada, it’s possible that passengers on flight 1218 will be some of the only people who get a clear view of the totally eclipsed sun.

However, this opportunity comes with huge unknowns that first-time eclipse chasers, in particular, should be trying to avoid.

Delta flight 1218 will depart from Austin at 12:15 p.m. CDT and land in Detroit at 4:20 p.m. EDT on April 8. The flight path will essentially follow the path of totality, which is just 115 miles wide and will track from Texas through Maine, via Ohio and Lake Erie.

You must be within the path to see totality—stray outside of it, and all you get is a view of a partially eclipsed sun. Austin is in the path of totality and will see an eclipsed sun at 13:36 CDT. Detroit is not, but it's only 60 miles north of Toledo, Ohio, which will see totality at 15:12 EDT. So it's likely that passengers on Delta flight 1218 will see the totally eclipsed sun over Texas, Arkansas,