The October 2023 annular solar eclipse attracted crowds across the Four Corners region. This photo of a nearly full ring of fire was taken at Anasazi Arch in northern Aztec New Mexico, near the Colorado-New Mexico border. (Sean Stanley/Denver Post Special Reporter)
If you haven't yet booked your trip to see the April 8 solar eclipse, it may be too late to make full reservations for flights, hotels, and rental cars. Or it could be cost-prohibitive.
A total solar eclipse will pass through North America, including parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada, on April 8 with varying degrees of darkness. In the so-called “total path”, the sky becomes completely dark for a while. short time. Other places, including Denver, will also see a partial solar eclipse.
There is still a rush of people getting on that path and experiencing the strange moment when temperatures plummet and day turns to night with darkness.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun, so your experience will vary depending on location and weather. It is these variables that make traveling to witness this phenomenon a gamble. The sky will reach 65% totality in Denver at 12:40 p.m., and the eclipse will last from 11:28 a.m. to 1:53 p.m. (parts of Colorado will see another type of solar eclipse in 2023). occurred).
To see a complete solar eclipse, people are getting creative and strategizing by considering things like flight distance, expected cloud cover, traffic congestion, and cost.
Russell Carlton said: “United Airlines has seen incredible demand for travel to popular tourist destinations like Cleveland, Little Rock and San Antonio in the days leading up to and following the eclipse, with bookings on par with the same period last year. “This is a two- or three-digit increase compared to the previous year.” United Airlines corporate communications manager said in an email.
Carlton added: “United Airlines may be operating 11 flights along the eclipse path for customers who want views above the clouds.” “Customers on select flights along the route will receive special United eclipse glasses to ensure they have the best and safest flight experience. — View.”
In the United States, the path to totalization would cross Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
The closest drive from Denver to see the full eclipse is Dallas, a 12-hour drive each way. A two-hour flight from Denver to Dallas on Southwest Airlines the weekend before the eclipse cost about $500. For comparison, the following three weekend flights from Denver to Dallas cost less than $100. On United Airlines, an economy ticket for a two-hour flight from Denver to Dallas on the Saturday before the eclipse costs $1,374. (If you have 6 hours to spare, stopping in Orlando brings the price down to $649.)
San Antonio, a 14-hour drive from Denver, is even more popular, with fewer flights remaining across airlines and higher prices for those with tickets left. A search on AAA Travel shows that there are no rental cars left in San Antonio from April 7th until April 9th. Kayak shows rental cars available from Sixt for applicable dates from $1,700 to $2,300. La Cantera Resort & Spa is offering a three-night, $3,500 Eclipse package, but hotels in the city's famous downtown Riverwalk area are fully booked.
For those who can find a way into San Antonio, there are limited flights departing the day after the eclipse. Southwest Airlines is fully booked that day and almost completely booked two days later.
People are betting on clear skies further south, so for those wanting to see the eclipse in Mexico, it's going to be expensive or take a lot of time. For American Airlines, a traveler can choose a 32-hour flight for $777 that includes two stops, or a 6-hour flight for $2,074 (varies in both price and duration). is).
It's not just the predictably sunny destinations along the total route that are experiencing high demand and resulting price hikes. United's shortest flight to Rochester, New York, takes just under six hours with one stop and costs $1,630 (the same flight a week later costs less than $200). Ticket prices and availability change daily (if not hourly), but the pattern is the same: prices skyrocket 1-2 days before the eclipse and at other similar times. Prices will drop significantly.
However, there are still some relatively good deals for those watching naturally occurring solar eclipses. United Airlines' 2.5-hour nonstop flight from Denver to Indianapolis on April 6th costs $649. Butler University's Holcomb Observatory will host a free solar eclipse party, Indiana University will host a Hoosier Cosmic Celebration, featuring a speech from Star Trek actor William Shatner (tickets range from $19 to $59) and actress Singer Janelle Monáe is scheduled to perform at the event. Southwest Airlines has slightly cheaper nonstop flights to Indianapolis on April 6 at $586.
A three-hour nonstop flight to Cleveland, Ohio, on United Airlines will cost $548 on April 6 (the same flight a week later is $90).
Combining air travel with a road trip in Oklahoma may be the most affordable option and closest to Denver. Southwest Airlines will offer a 90-minute nonstop flight from Denver to Oklahoma City on April 6 for $382. The Total Trail crosses Broken Bow, about a four-hour drive from Oklahoma City. AAA Travel car rental rates are approximately $80 to $90 per day from April 6th to 9th (drops to $29 per day after one week). The key is to find accommodation in this rural location, but for larger groups, for example, up to 25 people can stay for two nights from April 7th to 9th, with his $3,429 bill. There is a Broken Bow Cabin Lodging option that you can split the bill with. (After two weeks, the total cost is $2,096.)
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of all locations along the entire route, or each airline or mode of transportation available to reach any of these destinations. Ironically, this entire event (which involves the moon slowly starting to cross the sun's orbit, briefly covering the sun before it slides off, and then the sun fully revealing itself again) is a great way to observe the moon. It takes less time than most flights. The entire solar eclipse event is approximately two and a half hours long, and depending on your location, a complete solar eclipse can be seen for up to four minutes and 27 seconds.
CAUTION: No matter where you are attending this event, always wear appropriate eye protection when looking at the sun.
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