FlyerTalk Forums - Delta Eclipse Flight

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpm013 (Post 36157739)

Has anyone been able to find the ATC recording from that time? I know it was previously mentioned that specific timing was not on the Live ATC website.

Also, WaPo has an article about this now: https://www.washingtonpost.com/trave...h-of-totality/

Wow, so now they place every single blame on what went wrong on DL1010 to ATC, while ATC didn't say they actually directed Delta pilot to make that specific turn. According to the analysis by Dimitrije Ratkov in the article and Eclipse2026 here - Delta technically doesn't need to make any turn to actually create a better totality solar eclipse experience for the passengers instead of flying out of the totality zone.

So let's recall on the timeline:

1) On Feb 18th - Delta started selling the special totality solar eclipse chasing flight from Austin to Detroit (DL1218) (news.delta.com/eclipse-viewing-30000-feet-delta-offer-path-totality-flight) with a huge PR and marketing and all tickets were sold out at within 24 hours at a premium of 3-6x (roughly between $700 to $1200) compared to the the price of the other same flight route in the same day. with the following statements: "“This flight is the result of significant collaboration and exemplifies the close teamwork Delta is known for — 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,” he said....“Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers.”"

2) On Feb 26th - Delta added the 2nd special totality solar eclipse chasing flight from Dallas to Detroit (DL1010) (news.delta.com/popular-demand-delta-adds-second-eclipse-path-totality-flight) with even more PR and marketing to "give customers a second shot at a sky view of the eclipse in the path of totality....while Delta flight plans have been designed to maximize time within the path of totality, this is subject to change due to factors outside of Delta’s control such as weather and air traffic control that could impact timing and aircraft.". The flight was also selling at a premium of 3-6x compared to the price of the same flight route in the same day. Essentially, even with disclaimer, Delta specifically marketing its flights to those who want to spend as much time as possible within the path of totality, as Time magazine has pointed out

3) From between Feb 18th until around early April - there were literally countless pieces of marketing and news (NPR, Space.com, CBS, ABCNews, FOX, CondeNast, BusinessInsider, NYPost, etc.) but generally no additional official comments from Delta other than the articles quoting Delta's original press release from Feb 18th and Feb 26th.

4) From between early April until April 8th, before the flight - the news articles started to have some additional insights and comments by Delta's officials
a) Time Magazine (time.com/6961856/eclipse-delta-flight-passengers/)

"A Delta spokesperson says the airline plans to make “a series of turns in the area of totality to allow for views from both sides of the aircraft during these flights,” as long as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic control give approval on the day of the flight. Delta will also provide all passengers with ISO-certified viewing glasses, which are required for eclipse watchers. But the FAA has warned that air traffic delays are likely on April 8 due to crowded airspace, posing potential challenges for eclipse-bound flights and their meticulously planned viewing schedules. The stakes are high for eclipse enthusiasts. Any disruptions to flights could result in missing the crucial moment of totality—when the moon obscures the sun for roughly three to five minutes....A Delta spokesperson says the airline has contingency plans in place in the event that outside factors impact the eclipse flights. “We will do everything within our control to make these flights an amazing experience for our customers,” the spokesperson says. “This can include alternative routing and altitudes that our teams coordinate with Delta operations teams on the ground and air traffic control.”

b) CBS (cbsnews.com/news/total-solar-eclipse-delta-air-lines-viewing-experience-special-flights/)

"The flights will take place on Monday, with one going from Austin to Detroit and a second route from Dallas to Detroit. Both sold out in 24 hours. These flights were strategically chosen to skirt the path of the eclipse, with a special detour over southeast Missouri planned for the optimal viewing experience. There, the aircraft will perform a meticulous 30-degree bank on either side, granting passengers a rare four-minute glimpse of the eclipse..."I think that we're gonna be able to provide a really unique experience," said Captain Phil Marshall, who, alongside Captain Phil Daniels, will take the helm for the flight. The challenge of syncing the flights with the moon's swift shadow, which races across the United States at over 1,500 miles per hour, falls on the shoulders of Delta's operations and customer center. Flight Superintendent Erin Wehrman and her team are tasked with navigating the planes not only from point A to point B, but also in alignment with the eclipse...."We're traveling at about 400 miles per hour, so the sun is actually going to be catching up to us. So we're taking off before it even hit the U.S. border on the south end, and it will catch up to us," said Wehrman. Weather also plays a crucial role in the day's success. Delta meteorologist Warren Weston is on standby, ready to steer the flights above any potential cloud cover, ensuring a clear view of the eclipse. Meanwhile, pilots are preparing for the flight of a lifetime. "This is fantastic for me," said Marshall. "It's always, every day's like a dream come true for us as pilots.""

c) Business Traveler USA (businesstravelerusa.com/news/delta-to-offer-special-flight-for-eclipse-viewing/)

"Behind the scenes, Delta’s meteorology team is the unsung hero, orchestrating the ballet of clouds and shadows with precision. Warren Weston, Delta’s lead meteorologist, gives us a glimpse into their meticulous preparations, ensuring safe and seamless journeys amidst the cosmic chaos. From updating weather tools to guiding flight crews through turbulent skies, their expertise ensures passengers can witness the eclipse in awe-inspiring comfort. He emphasizes just how special this eclipse viewing opportunity will be: “This eclipse will last more than twice as long as the one that occurred in 2017, and the path is nearly twice as wide.”"

5) On the day of April 8th for DL1010:

Prior to Boarding: There was no announcement that the flight would no longer do the s-curve, as they told the new media on April 8th and no announcement prior to boarding to tell everyone that if they were doing the circular right turn, they will fly out of the totality path and also not be able to maximize the time of solar eclipse experience. So essentially, passengers are not being officially informed of the flight plan changed compared to what they advertised prior. That is, of course, assuming, that the S-curve flight path was at least originally proposed to ATC, and ATC rejected that, and Delta came back with the circular right (why not left or just straight line?) for ATC approval. But if that's the case, shouldn't passengers be informed?
Once boarded but prior to intersected by the solar eclipse: Per the finding from Eclipse2026, Delta 1010's pilot told the passengers that he was requesting to make a right turn (so was this right turn planned??? why did he say he was requesting? He should have just said we had to turn right circular due to the best possible ATC approval? Why did he not try to request an S-curve, a left circular turn, or even just a straight line? In the quote from Eclipse2026: "that was the OH $HIT moment for me, knowing we were already near the southern boundary...and here is a video with the PA at 6:03
https://youtu.be/AVDp5ugAXHo?si=Ok-NpMbU09p-50dj

)
During the proximate eclipse: here is the interactive map created by Dan Ratkov - www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=I0sN1zmvhoU - that the plane flew out of the totality zone and completely missed the totality solar eclipse during the full right circular turn.
Post eclipse and before landing: The pilot claimed we had 3 minutes of totality solar eclipse viewing moments, as recounted by AJC (ajc.com/news/business/delta-eclipse-flight-what-it-was-like-to-see-totality-from-35000-feet/BMLROUC4CJH75PQCWBW7Q6M4VA/)
- "The plane was only in totality for about three minutes, the pilot announced afterwards. People craned their necks out the window, or for the middle and aisle seat occupants, around their fellow passengers. But on a plane, you are limited by small windows and what angles you can contort yourself to see the horizon. From my vantage point, an aisle seat close to the right wing of the plane, the eclipse felt at times like a sunset, at times like an unexpected storm that darkened the clouds, minus the turbulence. The pilot banked starboard and port, trying to give both sides of the plane equal viewing time. But the same reason that people shelled out hundreds of dollars to try to see the eclipse from the air was the thing that made the viewing experience a bit disappointing — its ephemerality."
Post landing: we were greeted by a Delta landing party with Scott Kelly's speech telling how special we were experiencing 100% totality and it was a huge difference compared to 99% or less as 100% is many times darker compared to anything less than 100%. (If Delta truly planned this circular right turn that missed the totality, that was at least many hours before Scott Kelly's speech, and Delta had plenty of time to update him on the result?? The events sequence doesn't make any sense). Every single Delta official just pretended all of us were happy campers from this flight when so many of us are still confused of the viewing experience. But it was good vibes and we got a lot of goodies onboard. It was weird and I observed that many passengers, after they got their special T-shirt, left immediately because they were disappointed of the experience. Here are some of the comments mentioned by the DL1010 pilots and other Delta officials after the flight:
- Washington Post on April 8th (washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/04/08/eclipse-flight-delta/)
  - "Captain Alex Howell said in an interview after the flight landed that he didn’t look at the sun during the flight, but saw the sky turn into a “dark version of dusk.” “The city lights came on because of the darkness,” he said."
- Washington Post on April 12th (http://www.washingtonpost.com/travel...h-of-totality/)
  - "The flight’s captain told The Post on Monday that those on the left side of the plane probably had the best view, and said the flight got a little over three minutes to view totality. He told USA Today: “It was great. It really went off without a hitch.”"....(so the pilot told the journalist, Hannah Sampson, that the circular right turn that missed the full totality was great and executed without a hitch. How is it possible that he described it that way, Was the circular right turn for that flight path always the plan since the start and s-curve were not the original plans they wanted ATC to approve?? If the best plan was not approved, then it wasn't without a hitch)

6) From post-flight until the first few days after the flight - Delta went on full rampage, touting from their official channel the success of both DL1010 and DL1218 and also providing commentaries to news media journalists that both flights provided totality solar eclipse experience to passengers.

7) From a few days after post-flight to April 12th - some of us who took the April 8th DL1010 started posting commentaries on Flyertalk, JorgasBorgas on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comme...etap_auto=true) and Dan Ratkov on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=I0sN1zmvhoU&t=37s), It is becoming apparent that a lot of us are disappointed in the result of the DL1010 and Delta decided to fly off the totality path. more and more users chime in on this issue.

8) On April 12th - all of a sudden, Delta started changing the message about DL1010 and put all the blame on ATC not approving their path (instead of the complete success that they kept talking about in the past week). This is evident from one of the users here - simonwc - posted Delta's official response to his message as well as the updated new article by Hannah Sampson from Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/travel...h-of-totality/) that "The airline said air traffic control would not allow its planned maneuver" (why not admit that in the first place until more people start complaining??)

My takes and questions:

I believe there are still more truth that Delta is not telling us unless we put more pressure on them. They are only relenting to admit they "deviated from the path of totality" after a lot of us started voicing our disappointment. Some of the questions about whether they actually planned the S-curve, starting with the left turn, and at least asked for ATC approval for DL1010 are still unclear.
If ATC did not approve the S-Curve, did Delta ask for a circular left turn or just straight line before they settled for right circular turn?
Why had there not been a single announcement that they were going to veer off the totality zone before boarding?
Why not announce that during the flight?
And why did they not at least actually announce that we veered off when we were all at the landing celebration instead of pretending it was a smashingly successful totality viewing flight?
Why wait until April 12th to make such announcement that they veered off the path until many passengers had complained?
Why changing their disclaimer from back in Feb 18th/Feb 26th that their special totality solar eclipse flight were "Delta is giving customers a second shot at a sky view of the eclipse in the path of totality, this time out of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) on April 8...DL 1010 will be operated on an A321neo — a larger plane than the AUS-DTW A220-300 — to allow more customers to experience the eclipse path of totality...While Delta flight plans have been designed to maximize time within the path of totality, this is subject to change due to factors outside of Delta’s control such as weather and air traffic control that could impact timing and aircraft." to a user's posted response from Delta as of yesterday that Delta "could not make any guarantee that a passenger would have a particular view of the eclipse for any length of time.""...that is a huge change in expectation of this flight compared to expectations that were marketed a couple months ago.