A couple took off on a once-in-a-lifetime flight from Austin, Texas, on Monday to witness a total solar eclipse from 30,000 feet in the air – and landed in Detroit happily engaged with a story like no other.
Neil Albstein and his girlfriend, Michele Rosenblatt, both of New York, were on one of Delta's two "path-of-totality flights," an experience the airline had never before offered: To fly along the path where the moon would completely cover the sun. The airline offered two simultaneous flights to Detroit at the same time, one departing from Austin and another from Dallas.
"This year's eclipse will travel across the U.S. at 1,600 miles per hour, while the aircraft will be moving at about 480 miles per hour," Delta says on its website. "The path of totality and the flights' paths will come together about halfway the planned flight time."
Albstein told Reuters that the flight was such a special event that he didn't believe he would be able to top it for asking Rosenblatt to be his bride. Both Austin and Dallas were parts of the path of totality, which spanned 15 states before dipping into Canada.
"I felt like I had exhausted all my ideas for a special proposal," he shared, "and I wanted it to be a unique experience, so combining it with the eclipse felt just right."
And that's exactly what he did – right after witnessing the total solar eclipse from 30,000 feet in the air, bringing tears of joy to his soon-to-be bride and cheers from fellow passengers.
"Once the eclipse happened – because I had decided not to propose before it – my focus shifted and I started feeling nervous," he recounted.
Video and photos captured the moment he presented a shiny silver ring from a small blue box. He mentioned to The Detroit Free Press that he had been planning the proposal for two months.
