Couple gets engaged on Delta’s path-of-totality flight during solar eclipse

‘I wanted it to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience so it just seemed perfect to combine,’ passengerd says about solar eclipse proposal

One couple celebrated this year’s total solar eclipse with a special announcement: their engagement.

New York City-based couple Neil Albstein and Michele Rosenblatt were two of the many passengers on Delta Airlines’ path-of-totality flight on 8 April. As noted by the airline’s official website, the flight from Austin, Dallas, to Detroit, Michigan, gave passengers the opportunity to “spend as much time as possible directly within the path of totality” of the eclipse.

For Albstein and Rosenblatt, however, the flight became even more special when they got engaged in the air. In a video shared byReuters, the pair could be seen in their seats on the plane while Albstein held a ring in his hand.

As Rosenblatt accepted her partner’s proposal, she had a huge smile on her face and gave him a kiss, prompting applause from the rest of the passengers on the plane. The video went on to show a photographer capturing a picture of the couple after getting engaged.

Speaking to The Independent, Albestein revealed that his mother bought those tickets to the Delta flight, after she saw an eclipse while on a plane back in 1980. He also specified that even before the tickets were bought, he kenw that he wanted to propose to his then-girlfriend and was looking for a special way to do so.

“A few days after we booked the eclipse flight, it hit me that the chance to see totality from above the clouds was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, just like proposing to my once-in-a-lifetime match would be,” he said. “The more I thought about it, the more perfect it seemed. Michele and I both love to travel, so a proposal away from home made perfect sense.”

He went on to share more details about the ocassion, noting that he and Rosenblatt stayed at the TWA Hotel in JFK International Airport in New York City, on the night before the flew to Austin for the eclipse flight. He also shared the other planning that he did before the proposal, while still making sure that the event would be a surprise.

“I selected the eclipse t-shirts we wore on the flight because they suggested the ‘diamond ring’ effect of an eclipse-hinting at my plan to propose in a way Michele wouldn’t pick up on in advance,” Albstein added. “All that was left was trying to convince Michele that I was far from deciding to propose. I teased her for weeks! I wasn’t sure if it worked until I saw her face when I pulled out the ring.”

Rosenbalt also confirmed to The Independent that she was “totally surprised” by the proposal, before sharing some of the eclipse-related references that will be featured during the wedding.

“I am so lucky and happy that I get to be with my best friend. Now we have a special story that we are never going to forget,” she said. “Obviously we will have to pick Total Eclipse of the Heart for our wedding song!”

During an interview with Reuters, he also specified how he’d planned for the right moment to propose before getting on the flight. “Once the eclipse happened, because I knew I wasn’t going to propose before the eclipse, once it happened my attention shifted and I started to get nervous,” Albstein added.

In an interview with theDetroit Free Press, Albstein also acknowledged that he initially wanted the eclipse to pass before proposing, and he’d spent the last two months planning his proposal.

Leading up to the eclipse on 8 April, Delta’s special flight departed at 12.15pm CT from Austin, landing in Detroit at 4.20pm ET. The airline specified that during the time aboard the plane, passengers had “the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak”.

“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,” Eric Beck, managing director of domestic network planning at Delta, said in the press release. “Thanks to teams across the company, the idea of viewing a total eclipse from the air will become a reality for our customers.”

Delta shared that before the two path-of-totality flights took off, passengers celebrated the eclipse at the gate. Airport gates were filled with “curated music, photo ops and conversations with Delta meteorologists Warren Weston and Dave Samuhel about what to expect on board the unique flights,” Delta said. Once they were in their seats on the plane, passengers were given special viewing glasses for the eclipse, along with Delta-branded solar eclipse socks. According to one passenger named Paul, who was on the flight departing Austin, he was able to capture several photos from his window of the eclipse.

“One of the photos I wanted was the eclipse’s shadow on the ground,” Paul said. “As we got closer, the sky got darker and darker. I looked out the window and the shadow looked like a smear on the ground.”

The Independent has contacted Delta for comment.

On 8 April, a total eclipse of the Sun plunged a stretch of North America into darkness, with millions of spectators across the US, Mexico, and Canada hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare event. It was North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, with the path of totality crossing directly over 44 million people. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting. The best weather was seen in Mexico and at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.