Delta is adding a special flight for the solar eclipse

Parts of the country will witness a solar eclipse in less than two months. Now, a major US airline is adjusting its flight schedules to allow 130 lucky passengers the chance to view the event from a vantage point at 30,000 feet.

On April 8, the moon will pass between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The spectacle will be visible to more than 31 million Americans along a route extending from Texas to parts of the Midwest and parts of the East Coast.

Nearly a year ago, TPG warned of rising hotel prices in destinations along the path as travelers tried to secure their chance to view the eclipse from Earth.

But what about trying to view it from the air?

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Delta Air Lines announced Monday that it has added a special flight to its schedule on April 8 that was specifically designed to allow viewing of the peak of the eclipse.

The flight is Delta Flight 1218, which will depart at 12:15 PM CST from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and head to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW).

The path is specifically designed to give passengers the opportunity to spend as much time within the path of totality as possible; For comparison, people on the ground in Dallas, thought to be one of the best cities to watch the event, are expected to get about four minutes of the action total.

To give travelers a better view of the eclipse and a better shot at taking stunning photos, Delta plans to operate this flight with an Airbus A220-300, which features larger windows than many other narrow-body jets.

“The April 8 eclipse is the last total eclipse we will see over North America until 2044,” Delta Chief Meteorologist Warren Weston said in a statement. “This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one in 2017, and the path will be almost twice as wide.”

True, this solar eclipse is shaping up to be a larger event than the one many Americans witnessed in 2017. During this solar eclipse, many memorable photos came from flights, including Alaska Airlines Flight 9671which departed Oregon's Portland International Airport (PDX) on August 21, 2017.

Locations along the eclipse's path this spring were among the high-demand destinations mentioned in TPG's 2024 Travel Trends Report.

Book a flight for the eclipse

If you want to reserve a seat on Delta's Eclipse flight, it certainly won't be cheap.

Round-trip tickets from Austin to Detroit start at $579 for a main cabin ticket.

Unsurprisingly, getting excellent value for redeeming miles on this flight won't be easy. The prize price starts from 52,000 Delta SkyMiles one way.

However, if you have a stockpile of SkyMiles or American Express Membership Rewards points and are ready to get a first view of the eclipse, this might seem like a good opportunity to use some miles.

Other Delta flights in sight of the eclipse

On top of its flight designed specifically to view the eclipse, Delta noted a number of other flights on April 8 that may give passengers a view of the natural phenomenon.

These include:

• DL 5699 from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to Westchester County Airport in New York (HPN), departing at 2:59 PM EST on an Embraer 175.
• DL 942 from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to DTW, departing at 8:40 AM PDT on an Airbus A320.
• Flight DL 2689 from Los Angeles International Airport to San Antonio International Airport (SAT), departing at 10:08 AM EST on an Airbus A220-300.
• DL 1683 from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), departing at 9:55 AM local time on an Airbus A320.

Of these flights, the least expensive to redeem SkyMiles we've found as of press time is a Los Angeles to San Antonio flight, which starts at 18,000 SkyMiles for a one-way basic economy ticket.

Eclipse flights for Southwest Airlines

Last fall, Southwest Airlines also noted a few flights that might offer the highest probability of viewing the eclipse.

These include:

• WN 1252 from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), departing at 12:45 PM CST
• WN 1721 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Indianapolis International Airport (IND), departing at 12:50 PM CDT
• WN 1910 from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston, departing at 1:20 PM CST

Of these flights, the St. Louis to Houston option is the least expensive, starting at $224 for a Wanna Get Away fare. Or you can redeem 16,711 Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

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If you can't secure an affordable hotel reservation, these flights may provide an opportunity to view the eclipse from a unique vantage point.

As always, airlines are warning that there could be factors that could spoil the view, from weather-related delays to disruptions caused by air traffic control.

Whether you plan to watch the April 8 eclipse from Earth, From a cruise ship or in the air, it should be an unforgettable experience.