Delta Air Lines will conduct a special flight on April 8, 2024, to observe the solar eclipse from the air. The company will operate an Airbus A220-300 flying between Austin (AUS) and Detroit (DTW).
The flight will offer a particularly privileged view thanks to the extra-large windows of the aircraft. The A220 will depart from Austin at 12:15 (Central Time) and land in Detroit at 16:20 (Eastern Time), scheduled to give those on board the best opportunity to safely view the solar eclipse at its peak.
Eric Beck, Director of National Network Planning at Delta, stated that «this flight is the result of significant collaboration and exemplifies the close teamwork for which Delta is known, 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.»
Regular Flights with Privileged Views
- DL 5699, Detroit (DTW) – White Plains (HPN), departing at 14:59, operated with Embraer ERJ-175
- DL 924, Los Angeles (LAX) – Dallas (DFW), departing at 8:40, operated with Airbus A320
- DL 2869, Los Angeles (LAX) – San Antonio (SAT), departing at 9:00, operated with Airbus A319
- DL 1001, Salt Lake City (SLC) – San Antonio (SAT), departing at 10:08, operated with Airbus A220-300
- DL 1683, Salt Lake City (SLC) – Austin (AUS), departing at 9:55, operated with Airbus A320
Delta operates flights to many destinations within the path of the total solar eclipse, for those who prefer to view the solar event from land. The locations where the eclipse can be best appreciated from land are Austin (AUS), San Antonio (SAT), and Little Rock, Ark. (LIT).
«The April 8 eclipse is the last total eclipse we will see over North America until 2044. This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one in 2017, and the path is nearly twice as wide,» said Warren Weston, Chief Meteorologist at Delta Air Lines.
