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On Monday, people across the United States and beyond went out of their way to witness the solar eclipse that transpired over the course of the afternoon, but some diehards who shelled out serious dough to board a flight that promised a unique view got an experience that seemed to leave a lot to be desired.
A ton of places that were located in the path of totality for the eclipse that occurred on April 8th were overrun by tourists who went out of their way to witness something that won’t occur again in the United States until 2044, and the folks at Delta used the unique celestial occurrence to schedule a couple of flights with “umbraphiles” in mind.
In February, the airline announced it had scheduled a flight between Austin and Detroit that it said was “timed to give those on board the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak.” The cheapest one-way ticket was $749 (a first-class seat would’ve set you back $1,150), and it was greeted with enough demand to justify a second flight that departed from Dallas.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like it was entirely worth it.
A number of news outlets dispatched reporters to board the two planes to chronicle what went down on Monday, including The Atlanta Constitution-Journal, which noted passengers all received “a goodie bag with a hat, socks, and other apparel” as well as some appropriate snacks in the form of a Moon Pie and Sun Chips.
However, their correspondent noted passengers had trouble seeing the eclipse as totality set in before realizing “maybe a plane isn’t the best viewing spot for an eclipse.” Hannah Sampson of The Washington Post came to a similar conclusion, saying “a glimpse of totality proved elusive for many of the people who had reserved a spot on a flight that promised special maneuvers to get everyone a peek.”
Business Insider also spoke with someone who was on the flight that departed from Dallas, who admitted “I really don’t think anybody on the plane actually caught the eclipse in full totality.”
It’s worth noting most of the passengers who shared their thoughts didn’t seem to regret pulling the trigger on the flight while focusing on the unique atmosphere and the sense of community aboard the planes, although you have to wonder how many of those people were under the influence of copium.