Flights selling out due to high demand for solar eclipse viewing destinations

The upcoming total solar eclipse, whose path of totality will sweep across areas of North America on April 8, is driving U.S. travelers to select destinations that will offer the best viewing of the rare celestial event.

One travel provider, Alaska Airlines, is facilitating prime viewing opportunities by offering a series of flights to destinations positioned along the path of totality and, as it turns out, they’re selling out fast.

In fact, the carrier has seen a threefold increase in customer demand in comparison to years past for flights to places like Texas, Ohio and Mazatlán, Mexico, Alaska Airlines told Travel + Leisure.

Also:Where to go to experience the solar eclipse near Michigan

Due to heightened interest, flights to these eclipse-optimal locations are increasingly getting sold out well in advance.

"Travelers are excited to experience the upcoming solar eclipse and we’ve seen this reflected in our bookings,” Kirsten Amrine, Alaska Airlines’ Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning. “Across our network, flights to destinations along the projected path of the eclipse ... are seeing impressive demand, with many flights selling out months in advance.

“We’ve even added extra service to Mazatlán, as it's anticipated to have the longest duration of ‘totality’ in our network,” Amrine added, noting that the Mazatlán route demonstrating the strongest demand originates in Los Angeles.

Additionally, routes bound for Texas cities have seen a surge in popularity—most notably, flights to Austin from multiple cities, such as San Jose, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and San Diego; to Dallas from Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco; and to San Antonio from Seattle.

Alaska Airlines has also observed heightened interest in flights to Cleveland, which is positioned to experience the eclipse’s totality later in the afternoon. The most significant spike in demand is for flights departing Seattle and arriving in the Ohio city.

According to T+L, Alaska isn’t the only carrier catering to eclipse enthusiasts. Southwest Airlines is running similar routes to cities that lie in the path of totality and Delta Air Lines plans to operate a special solar eclipse flight that chases the phenomenon from Austin to Detroit.

The eagerly anticipated 2024 total solar eclipse, which is being called the “Great American Eclipse,” is set to traverse the United States on a path of totality from Texas to Maine. According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. won't occur until 2044.