Getting a ringside seat to the eclipse has become a major obsession for anyone in Texas and Southwest Airlines is offering a view that's hard to beat.
The Dallas-based airline is partnering with Omni Hotels & Resorts on a sweepstakes that'll give two people a chance to win seats on a flight predicted to be in the direct path of the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Winners will receive tickets on one of two flights: One departing Dallas (Love Field) at 12:40 pm for Pittsburgh, and another departing Austin at 12:55 pm for Indianapolis.
With totality in Texas taking place at some point between 1:27 pm to 1:49 pm, depending on your location, that means both flights will depart ahead of the eclipse, whose path will move from southwest to northeast.
Calculating exactly when the eclipse will catch up to the planes requires a degree in mathematics, but rest assured it'll happen before the planes land.
Winners will get to stay in custom-designed guest rooms at Omni Hotels in the departure cities of Dallas and Austin and the arrival cities of Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Designed by Omni’s in-house interior design team, the rooms are inspired by the solar eclipse.
Curiously, the release from Southwest mentions only the flights to Pittsburgh and Indianapolis — nothing about return flights. Perhaps winners will have to find their own way back home?
The sweepstakes are now open at eclipsesweepstakes.com, running through March 11. Entries are open to those age 21 or older at the time of entry, and are limited to one entry per person.
You can win a chance to see the total solar eclipse aboard a Southwest Airlines flight.
The shiny new gates will start welcoming travelers ahead of the World Cup. Courtesy of American Airlines