Eclipse

Not everyone is excited about the total solar eclipse

Our story “Many can’t wait for the eclipse. Some can’t wait until it’s over,” appeared first on NBC News

Months of planning have gone into the handful of minutes it will take for the moon to pass in front of the sun on Monday. Dozens of towns and cities in the solar eclipse’s path of totality have arranged packed schedules of celebratory events and viewing sites, preparing to welcome legions of enthusiastic visitors like Michael Howard.

The 62-year-old is flying from Baltimore to San Antonio, Texas, and then driving about 65 miles northwest to Kerrville — where he’s all but certain to hit eclipse traffic.

“I wouldn’t say anyone thinks I’m crazy for doing this, but I do know plenty of people who just don’t think it’s worth the trouble,” said Howard.

On the other side of the state, Greenville’s community engagement director, Micah McBay, has been fielding pushback from residents who feel similarly to Howard’s detractors.

“Some people can’t grasp that the eclipse is a huge event and think it’s just a bunch of hullabaloo and nonsense,” he said.

The small city of some 30,000 to the northeast of Dallas is celebrating 4 minutes and 10 seconds of totality with multiple free concerts, watch parties and other festivities. But the efforts have lately drawn a wave of negative commentary on the city’s Facebook page and other social media platforms.

“We’ve been accused of blowing everything out of proportion, overreaching, trying to make a ‘money grab,’ and wasting government dollars,” McBay said.

But other concerns are well justified, and authorities around the country are hoping to get through the next few days without incident.

“We’re preparing for the worst and praying for the best,” said Betty Teel-Malone, the mayor of Wolfe City, Texas, 17 miles north of Greenville.

The town of 1,400 has no traffic light, a volunteer fire department and limited public services, “so we’re not planning any eclipse events and not advertising for anyone to come here,” said Teel-Malone. She doesn’t want to outright urge people to steer clear but is warning those who show up that “we can’t accommodate them.”

“There are no hotels, no parks, no camping, no RV parks or anything like that in this area,” Teel-Malone said. Perhaps more importantly, she added, “we don’t have the police to keep whoever does come here safe.”

Even officials with robust public safety resources at their command are taking extra precautions.

Last week, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order warning residents and local leaders about the “massive number of people” heading to the Hoosier State for the eclipse. He urged officials to be “prepared to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public” and be ready to “swiftly and effectively respond to any emergency that may arise.”

In Ohio, where the path of totality extends from Dayton to Cleveland and several major sporting events are also taking place over the weekend, authorities are planning for potential headaches.

“What we’re mostly concerned about is traffic,” said Dan Tierney, the press secretary for Gov. Mike DeWine, who has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center to support local communities before, during and after the eclipse.

“We need to make sure our agencies are fully staffed and available to keep people safe, prevent backups and bottlenecking” and be prepared for “any eventuality that might occur,” Tierney said.

In central Texas, aviation authorities are bracing for what could be a grumpy group of travelers testing their operational capacity. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will have extra staff in the terminal “to provide assistance to passengers and to help keep ticket counter and security screening lines organized,” spokesperson Lesly Ramirez said in a statement Friday.

And that’s all when travelers get there. Major roads and highways throughout central Texas are expected to be congested in the hours surrounding the eclipse, and lines at rental car desks could back up.

Ramirez echoed perhaps the most common warning resounding across the state this week: “Prepare to spend more time sitting in traffic.”

(Photo up top courtesy of George Eastman Museum via Flickr Commons)

Leap Year Flight Deal + Eclipse Flight Contest

How to see the eclipse from a Southwest Airlines flight

Much of the United States will be able to see a total or partial eclipse on April 8, 2024.

But wouldn’t it be great to see the eclipse from the air?

Some lucky ducks will get that opportunity. Including the winners of a “Solarbration” sweepstakes hosted by Southwest Airlines and Omni Hotels & Resorts.

Entering is free and the two winners will each get a prize package for two that includes air travel on a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas or Austin that is predicted to be in the direct path of the eclipse. Winners will also get to stay in an eclipse-themed Omni Hotels & Resorts hotel room. If you don’t live in one of Dallas or Austin, Southwest says it will get you there too. (See the rules and restrictions)

Enter the Southwest/Omni Hotels Solarbration sweepstakes by 8 a.m. CT on March 11, 2025.

Good luck!

LEAP YEAR FLIGHT DEAL

Qantas has a Leap Day Sale sale running for 24 hours – from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm PST on February 29, 2024.

The sale offers $250 off round-trip economy cabin flights to Australia and New Zealand from the carrier’s U.S. gateways. Some restrictions and blackout days apply. To take advantage, enter the code ‘LEAPDAY’ in the ‘have a promo code?’ prompt at the top of the flight search results page. This could help you save on these flights:

·         Los Angeles to Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. 

·         Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney or Melbourne. 

·         San Francisco to Sydney. 

·         New York (JFK) to Sydney (via Auckland) 


 

Eclipse Contest: See it in Cleveland

Win a Trip to See The Eclipse From Cleveland

Want to be in the path of totality during the total solar eclipse happening on April 8, 2024?

Cleveland will be one of the prime viewing locations, with unobstructed views over Lake Erie and more than three minutes of total darkness.

And Destination Cleveland has created an interactive game where you can enter to win an overnight stay to witness the celestial event.  

The interactive Road Trip to CLE game races you through Cleveland with a mission to make it Downtown before the moon totally blocks out the sun.

The prize includes and overnight stay for up to four people at a Downtown Cleveland hotel on April 8, 2024; tickets to two Cleveland attractions, a $50 gift card to a Downtown Cleveland restaurant, and up to four pairs of Solar Eclipse glasses. 

To enter: Play the Roadtrip to CLE game. Share your score to either Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #SolarEclipseCLE by the end of the contest on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. The winner be will be randomly chosen on or about Monday, June 5, 2023, from among all eligible entries.

Good luck!

Getting ready for the eclipse

 

Courtesy NASA

Like everyone else, I’m pretty darn excited about the Great American Eclipse taking place on August 21.

I’m luckier than most. Not only do I live not far from the path of totality, but I’ve been invited to join Alaska Airlines on a special flight that will leave Portland International Airport early Monday morning and head out over the ocean to meet the eclipse as it heads towards the west coast.

The plane will be filled with astronomers, airline employees, special guests and media representatives. And while I won’t have one of the highly coveted seats on the right side of the plane where passengers are promised a straight on view of the eclipse from their seats, I’ll have a front row seat for the festivities leading up to the flight and at least a sliver of a galley window during the flight.

There won’t be WIFI on the flight, so I won’t be able to do any live reporting – but my story and some of my photos from the adventure will be on USA TODAY, here on StuckAtTheAirport.com and on social media soon after we land.

In the meantime, I’m getting ready by watching this video taken by a passenger on Alaska Airlines Flight #870 in 2016, when astronomers convinced Alaska Airlines to change the course of the  course of a flight from Anchorage to Honolulu just a bit so that eclipse chasers – and regular passengers booked on the flight – could get  a view of an eclipse taking place over the Pacific Ocean.