Earlier this week, Delta Air Lines announced an extra flight for its April 8 schedule, timed specifically to provide passengers an aerial view of the total solar eclipse. But if you were still hoping to snag a ticket for the afternoon jaunt alongside the path of totality, you’re already out of luck—seats aboard the Airbus A220-300 sold out within 24 hours.
According to Delta’s original announcement, DL Flight 1218 with service from Austin to Detroit will depart at 12:15 PM CST for its roughly 1,380-mile, 3-hour-long trip. Once at a cruising altitude of 30,000-feet, passengers will be able to view the celestial event through the plane’s “extra-large windows,” which the official Airbus specs manual says measure in at 11×16 inches. For comparison, a Boeing 777 includes 10×15 inch glimpses of the outside world. Everyone on the plane will receive special glasses to safely watch the eclipse (which is nice to hear, given how few free amenities remain on most commercial flights).
[Related: We can predict solar eclipses to the second. Here’s how.]
While the solar eclipse will last several minutes for anyone on the ground, Flight 1218’s timing and route should grant a longer spectacle.
As cool as a first-class seat to the eclipse would be, there are plenty of (likely cheaper) locations across the US to consider visiting on April 8. After traveling across Central America, the path of totality will pass across large portions of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
If you’re truly determined to head to skies, NPR notes that there are other flight options scheduled to pass by at least some part of the eclipse, including from Delta, as well as several from Southwest.
But keep in mind: A plane’s altitude doesn’t necessarily guarantee a picture-perfect view of the eclipse—if anything, there’s a chance that cloud coverage could impede an onlooker’s vantage. There’s also the possibility of weather or air traffic control delays, which… well, this country has a history of such headaches.
So despite the multiple jetset options, your best bet to see April’s eclipse is simply making sure you’re within its route, firmly on the ground, and equipped with proper eyewear. Seriously, take it from NASA: “Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”
