Solar Eclipse 2024: EPIC Southwest Flight into TOTALITY

Watch this video to see what it was like to fly with Southwest Airlines from Austin to Indianapolis through the Path of Totality!
This flight was the longest commercial flight through the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 with a routing that gave us almost ten minutes of unbelievable views.
Ever wondered What’s it like to fly during the 2024 Total Solar eclipse? We’ll show you in this video!
We’ll share the festivities on the ground and in the sky. But better yet, you’ll see the incredible views!
While we weren’t able to see the moon cover the sun, what we did see was truly incredible. In fact, it was exactly what I’d wanted to see. Flying above the clouds, we watched the moon’s shadow move over the earth at 1,000 miles per hour and the light at the edge of the shadow. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
It was nearly impossible to see the moon covering the sun. For that, you’re much better staying on the ground. But this light is unlike anything you can see from anywhere other than 39,000 feet. It’s simply magical!
Here's the last time I flew Southwest Airlines (to meet the CEO!!)
• Why People "Luv" South...
0:00 Introduction
1:13 Anxiety is High
2:58 Boarding
4:34 Complimentary Cosmic Cocktails
5:35 Entering the Path of Totality
7:31 Price
Skylite Productions
/ @sla31
Luna Dog Aviation
/ @lunadog99
Chez Aviation
/ @chezaviation
Music:
Sudden Rush - Dream Cave
Tiny Fast Vehicle - Magnofield
Anxious (Instrumental Version) - Cartice
Everlasting Youth (Barbatula)
Beautiful Awakening - Subliminance

[@seaskiandme]

Hello again, so glad I could be "a very friendly seatmate in seat 28F." I saw my little cameo at the end, yay! I planned to overdub my video with music, but I liked hearing the message from the captain, and the voices around us echoing the wonderment you described. Feel free to reach out if you'd care for any clips or stills to use on your blog. All my "eclipse" and Sweepstakes award videos are on my channel, SeaSkiAndMe, but I have some unpublished footage I won't be using. My favorite thing about this flight was not the eclipse, itself, but the atmosphere. Truly a "party in the sky." These days, we are so used to hearing about unruly or rude passengers. Not on this flight! Instead it was a spirit of cooperation, jubilation, and absolute joy that sailed across country culminating in Indianapolis. It made me feel really good about my fellow humans who reside on this spinning rock with me.

[@hezydaniel]

you the goat bruh

[@jadw33]

It sounds like y'all had a wonderful Solar Eclipse Flight. Exciting! Thank you for sharing.

[@GreenerGrass]

Thanks so very much for sharing your window. We really, really appreciate it! We had a great time flying with you and hope to see you again! 100% agree with you about the atmosphere. It was a TON of fun and illustrated the best of the "Southwest Culture." Thanks again!!

[@seaskiandme]

@GreenerGrass fyi - if you still have the box the luggage tag came in from the goodie bag, follow the directions. There is a larger travel gift than just the tag. Someone at Omni corporate helped me w that. Reach out privately if you need directions.

[@dal_60]

@@seaskiandme TELL ME WHAT IT IS OR I WILL FIND YOU.... YOU HAVE TWO DAYS.

[@Sawyersaviation]

Bout time Jeb hops on Southwest.

[@Calebs_Aviation]

He’s flown them before

[@Sawyersaviation]

@@Calebs_Aviation Not for a while!

[@Grahzzyvtvlog]

😂

[@Calebs_Aviation]

@@Sawyersaviation True

[@jw3411]

kind of a Trash airline, can't even pick your seats....

[@andrewschmid5917]

Wow Wednesday upload and a historic flight, great break for the day to watch this

[@GreenerGrass]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@dil6969]

I knew I wanted to see and photograph the eclipse, but I was not ready for the awe inspiring experience it was. Even the very best photos do not do it justice. Everything from the temperature changes, crickets suddenly chirping, 360 degree sunset to the sun just POPPING out at you in the sky is something I will never forget. Seeing it at 30,000+ feet sounds incredible. I too saw it in Dallas and considering how horrible the weather forecast was for viewing, I feel unbelievably lucky to have witnessed all of totality amidst tons of broken clouds.

[@ians5337]

I went to Russellville Arkansas to do the same. The lack of dynamic range in photo formats and displays of today really is an injustice to how it looks in person. Really glad I brought a set of high end binocs with me. Not many mention the crickets lol. That was one of the first things I noticed

[@motexas9092]

I was at work at a construction site in Hewitt Tx and right before the eclipse everyone shut down to watch and it was such a mesmerizing experience such a peaceful but powerful energy to be involved in

[@karltontatsch7101]

I flew out of Dallas the day of the eclipse to Chicago we was taking off when totality hit very cool experience

[@kayganjenae]

Thank goodness for our shared window ;) Y’all got some great footage!

[@GreenerGrass]

You are the hero of the flight!!

[@TheOnlyName]

So glad it worked out!!

[@jasonthompson8157]

​@@GreenerGrassI think this deserves an honorary lifetime Patreon membership... Just sayin' 😁

[@Slimothy]

Seeing totality in person from the ground is way better! But that looked like a neat experience

[@truckerzachbell]

I was at my house and your flight was the ONLY plane that went over my place during the Eclipse. Gotta love Southwest!

[@user-mb2yp7yo4o]

wow so lucky

[@CrispyFella]

Actually wild

[@nameless-og]

Anything for a buck

[@williamfickas2542]

Very cool! You may know this, but in 1973 Concorde spent 74 minutes in totality with its supersonic ability to roll back the clock and outrace the sun. I was lucky enough to zip down to DAL on JSX to see this one. Amazing.

[@scottysteadman5063]

I lo that video! I watch all the time!!

[@thenewyorkrailfan]

@@scottysteadman5063same!

[@worldgurl6957]

So jealous you flew on the Concorde.......glad you had a memorable flight....

[@teddymanguerra]

That’s a precious video!

[@andrewgates4874]

Jeb & Suzanne need to do a northern lights flight. Have I missed that one? Those flights are soooo cool.

[@Lunadog99]

Nice meeting you on this flight! I calculated the amount of time we were in full totality to be roughly 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Which is 2 minutes and 20 seconds longer than on the ground!

[@GreenerGrass]

Nice work! So great to meet you!

[@protorhinocerator142]

Cool to see eclipse bros getting back together after the fact.

[@TheOnlyName]

Wow nice, super cool!!

[@goldieryry2401]

Yeah, but I was actually able to see the sun.

[@andykillsu]

But you never actually saw the eclipse.

[@LAXTravels]

Going with unassigned seats was a gutsy call! Glad it worked out! They did a cool job making it a full experience. Great video as always!

[@davidswift9120]

Nice vid. Many thanks. I saw my fair share in Munich, Germany in 1999 when we had an ace total eclipse too. Saw it on the ground. Far better I'd say. You witness the whole of nature stop and go quiet. No birds singing and no police with their sirens.

[@protorhinocerator142]

That's one thing I didn't get. The best viewing spot I could find was on top of a bridge over an interstate highway. There was a lot of road noise and no animals nearby. It was a trade-off. I wanted view up more than view sideways. I'm not disappointed with my choice. Would have been cool but oh well.

[@carolsmith5531]

In 2044 I will be 96 years old and I hope that you and Suzanne will take me along with you from PTI to experience the full solar eclipse. Love traveling the world with you through your videos.

[@mikakettunen7939]

i be 65 years old in 2044 and i swear i be there also!

[@dhaviationfanatic99]

I’ll be 45 in 2044

[@mikakettunen7939]

@@dhaviationfanatic99 High five as I am 45 now \,,/

[@caliplanes]

Saw totality from DFW 🤩 no words can describe it

[@protorhinocerator142]

I was in center Arkansas, and it was spectacular. Pictures don't do it justice, so I get it when he said the amazing colors from the air might not capture on the recording. So sad. But hey, live the moment. Don't miss an eclipse because you're fooling with a camera. Drink in the experience.

[@geogamr2493]

@@protorhinocerator142 Where specifically? My family and I were in Hot Springs (Garven Gardens to be specific).

[@colty7764]

I was in the 2017 total eclipse (2 minutes, 30 seconds). You can't describe it. The sky reveals colors and shades you've never seen or could imagine. This only occurs in to area of totality. The stars surrounding the strange corona exposed sun in the sky adds to the surreal experience. You have to "experience" one at least once in your life, even if its just for a few minutes.. you'll remember it forever.

[@lisadc4681]

People, you don't have to wait 20 years! There's one in Europe in 2026. We're going to Spain to see it, great excuse to travel. Also Iceland will see it, both great places to travel to anyway so why not??

[@saskiapanter]

Cool, but I'll stay on the ground. On August 11th 1999 I witnessed a complete solar eclips in Luxembourg. It was insane. Not just the eclips itself but also the feeling a got, I can't describe it, and eery feeling. I think kind of a instinctive kind of fear. Even I knew what was happening. The was no wind before the eclips started, and all of a sudden the wind picked up fast. We were in a rural area with horses on a field next to us. They went to their night stay when the eclips started, and when after 3 minutes it got light again the horses were confused, and not happy. Jumping running making noises. That was insane as well. I hope I will be able to go to the solar eclips in 2026 in Spain. Exactly at the place I always stay.

[@sugardidilookoverthere2243]

I remember back in 1991 when I was only 6 years old I went to my grandma's house to enjoy the total solar eclipse and it was AMAZING AND UNDESCRIPTIBLE (did I say it right?) and everything around the phenomenon was kind of strange, dogs start to bark, some birds were returning to their nests and the colors and the wind starting to blow was so beautiful to remember, now that I'm 38 watching the people in Mazatlán, Sinaloa enjoying this event again gaves me goosebumps all over my body... Took me back to my beautiful childhood... But one thing is for real: you guys, the whole passengers and the Southwest crew made this event unique, flying 38,000fts and see the moon's shadow covering the flight path it's something to remember in a very special place in your lives and that place istbe heart and in your memory, I send you greetings from Mexico City. ❤🎉

[@supriyasou3722]

Just curious, how is solar eclipse treated in Mexico? Do people come out on the streets to watch or is watching generally discouraged?

[@sugardidilookoverthere2243]

@@supriyasou3722 what do you mean about "watching generally discouraged"?

[@supriyasou3722]

@@sugardidilookoverthere2243 Decades ago, in many Asian countries people would avoid going out during eclipse thinking bad things would happen and stayed indoors. These days the perception has changed a lot but old people still don't.

[@rockwithyou2006]

@@supriyasou3722 It happened to me in 1995 in India when I was 6 years old. There was a total eclipse passing over us and I was not allowed to watch it. I remember being terribly upset about it. Good thing I watched it in Dallas this time and fulfilled my desire.

[@DeltaFlyer339]

At 7:48, I was at the speedway watching the eclipse and tracking flights and I remember seeing your flight fly over! I wish I knew that was you, I could of got a cool pic of your plane! 😀

[@Bigfootz2004]

Sorry, but it just looked like a normal sunset from an airplane, which is always beautiful...🤷

[@brucecook1156]

The solar eclipse was pretty cool with 94% totality where I lived in Chicagoland area. But the coolest thing about this video was that Jeb uploaded on a Wednesday and not the usual Saturday! How often do we get to see Jeb on Wednesdays???

[@aka99]

Only after a suneclipse

[@itsnotme07]

Pretty cool. I went out for lunch during the eclipse and let my dash cam get video. It sure looked like 10 pm for about 2 minutes.

[@The_Everything112]

Oh my gosh! I saw your flight in indiana! There was a plane that flew under the sun I saw during the eclipse! So cool!

[@joshuapatrick682]

Traveled to Arkansas to see it, one of the craziest 3 minutes of my life. slowly darkening over 40 minutes and you can't see the change without glasses until the totality occures at which point there looks like a massive blackhole in the heart of the sun and it becomes 9 pm during the heart of the daytime. Great stuff!

[@boogitybear2283]

I was so fortunate to watch the Eclipse from my back porch in Hamilton, Ohio. Thank God the clouds got out of the way just in time! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

[@skiparkcityut]

I got to see totality on the Burlington VT waterfront: it was amazing! So beautiful over the water and mountains and perfect weather. I would definitely recommend seeing it on the ground, it was a lot more impressive on the ground

[@simpletechbyabhinav6235]

I was supposed to go to Burlington, VT for the solar eclipse, but the people I was with decided to go to Island Pond, VT, because Burlington had a small chance of cloudiness, and in Island Pond it was guaranteed to not be cloudy. Looking back I think it would have been better to stick to the original plan. Anyway, I still got to experience totality, and it was amazing.

[@jer1776]

I drove up from CT and was in St Johnsbury VT. I also was originally going to go to Burlington but because of the chance of clouds we went east. Was amazing, so glad I went.

[@dawnterry3107]

Saw totality from my house just north of Indianapolis. It was awesome!!!

[@mrmotel9977]

We are in Kaufman County, TX and had 100% totality for about 4+ minutes! What an amazing experience! I'd check out the next one on the ground!! Cheers to you both!

[@mr.minecrafter1229]

FINALY HE CAME TO MY HOME AIRPORT! HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE ECLIPSE, JEB!

[@United1748-]

mine too!

[@kathrynaraguz4816]

Me too

[@FastGuy1]

Same!

[@kimberlydewey3764]

Same!

[@Anolaana]

Is there always constant construction out the front of the airport like Burnie Burns said? xD

[@seanodell8810]

Hey Jeb, thrilled to see you at IND! I work at IND but was offsite for another event - so bummed to miss you and Suzanne! Glad this experience was a good one and can't wait to have you back in Indy someday soon. Cheers!

[@rachfish]

I live in Indy. Sat in my lawn chair in the backyard. It was beautiful. 🌑

[@21xd09]

What an awesome experience! Southwest really knocked this one out of the park, and you guys must have gotten into a good stream for the plane to fly at 600mph. Awesome video Jeb and Suzanne!

[@nickhall8319]

the eclipse was one of the top 5 coolest things ive ever seen. wish i could have seen it from the air! as always, i'm living vicariously through you Jeb!

[@elemeno0pee]

I'm curious what 4 other things could potentially be cooler

[@nickhall8319]

@@elemeno0pee wedding, birth of my two kids, stuff like that.

[@Itsmehi456]

Man, what haven’t you guys done?! So so cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@jackson3190]

Glad you are able to be in Indy! There is quite a bit to do here!

[@affabaffa4393]

I flew on Southwest from Charlotte to Chicago Midway through the eclipse, it was really cool!

[@christinamiller5753]

I have seen some photos from Indiana with a plane within the eclipse path!! So cool 🤗

[@dennisk5818]

The times I've flown Southwest, the airlines has always been awesome. Kudos. The one time, we were flying into Las Vegas. As we were early, the gate was not yet available. The Captain got clearance to fly over the Grand Canyon for a few minutes, then back, allowing the left and right sides of the plane to get a glimps, and at a much lower altitude since we were setting up altitude for approach.

[@andreabeady1583]

Thank you for sharing this excellent event in the sky 😮

[@jrt2792]

My city (Cleveland) was in the path this Monday, it was truly an amazing experience.

[@ScoobaMusic]

This is the only time I've ever felt grateful to live in Indianapolis

[@TreverBeast]

What about after the Colts won Super Bowl XLI?

[@wingflex5367]

Amazing. Once in a lifetime opportunity :)

[@ryanhedlund1830]

Man only 10 minutes, I am in Indy and we got 3.5 half just sitting in the yard. Need the Concorde back just for eclipse flights now. 74 minutes of totality tracking over Africa in 1971.

[@Seamaxwell]

The perfect couple to take the perfect flight for such a unique event. Loved every minute of this

[@MLeonard317]

I watched the eclipse on the ground in Indianapolis. Thank you for sharing the video.

[@stevemercure902]

Nice video guys. I live in the path of totality in Arkansas and I think we may have seen your plane going over. It was a day never to be forgotten.

[@makeshiftlake3519]

Yes! I’m glad you finally did another southwest video! Please keep them coming! I love them!

[@TheSonicUniverse]

Hey Jeb, this was an amazing experience. Nice sharing this flight with you! Thanks you guys for making a great video about it!

[@wigglz]

Very cool! But honestly, I think the experience of seeing this from the ground was better. Seeing the actual eclipse and having those couple of moments will be something I will never forget.

[@mr.lavawolf]

Thanks for the epic video! ❤❤❤

[@ukdavepianoman]

Always great to see a Jeb and Susan video. Seeing/experiencing a total solar eclipse is still on my bucket list. Need to be on the ground to get the full effect. Being 35kft up you get all the light coming in from the "horizon".

[@davidphillips3090]

Fascinating. Thank you both.

[@galaxy4913]

What an incredible flight thanks for sharing Jeb!

[@pollytiks3885]

What an awe-inspiring experience, chasing after an eclipse. I got emotional watching the NASA feed; can’t imagine what it was like actually being there!

[@dwaynebible2147]

Thanks Jeb, that was fun to watch!

[@crazyone61]

We were lucky enough to have the eclipse go right over us in northeast Ohio! it was an awesome experience. During the total darkness we can still see blue skies in the distance horizon 360 degrees around us.

[@toemblem]

Very cool. Thank you for taking this flight and sharing it with us.

[@kadenblalock9595]

I watched this eclipse at the Indy airport and rode this exact same plane home. If only I payed attention I could have said hi haha

[@aacanada]

I saw it from the ground in a park in Montreal, the best nature spectacle ever! No regrets.

[@ryanfrisby7389]

That’s incredible, fantastic video guys!!!!

[@patriciafuchs5970]

Epic video! Thanks for doing this, it was fun and informative.

[@breadman-oc2lx]

Thanks for the view Jeb.

[@GekkenHenk]

What a beautiful approach into Indianapolis! Love the shots of the speedway.

[@attorneyrobert]

You are amazingly lucky to experience all of that! Bravo, Southwest!

[@sla31]

So glad you made a video! This is super cool to see from your perspective too!

[@GreenerGrass]

Thanks! Looking forward to checking out the whole thing over on your channel!!! Saw you just posted! 👀

[@sla31]

​@@GreenerGrass people can really get the opposite ends of the video length spectrum between our two videos, can't they 😅? Always a pleasure seeing you and Suzanne! I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon. We seem to be making a habit of it 😂. Great video my friend!

[@TrulyChxse]

Amazing! Hope you enjoyed Austin!

[@erikmorgenstern8039]

thanks for the vid sir - the shot of the shadow over running you two was pretty darn spectacular

[@OneEyeBobbyJoe]

Thank u for sharing

[@officialjfendi]

i was actually watching totality from the indianapolis motor speedway and arrived at the airport at 5:30 or so, def an experience i'll never forget! hope y'all enjoyed your eclipse day on southwest :D

[@kayleebeare]

Wow, I wish Southwest would have advertised this more. I'm a devout Southwest customer and I would've tried to make it. Thanks for covering this for us Jeb!

[@deadiemeyers1661]

Really fun to see what you two experienced in the air during solar eclipse totality! Thanks for bringing us along!

[@dannysnyder6791]

Thank you for posting this! I was up in 14A on this flight. It was pretty cool how cooperative everyone was with allowing access to the best views out of the right side windows (my view wasn't great). I agree that the lighting was AMAZING- seeing the light still there way off in the distance, almost like a sunset but obviously different was something that could not be experienced from the ground.

[@GreenerGrass]

So cool! Thanks so much for watching! What an awesome memory we made!

[@creedencebakken2686]

The music and Jen’s description of what he was seeing made me emotional because millions of others saw and experienced the eclipse in their own way. I was at the harbour front in Toronto with thousands to see and it was cloudy. The clouds allowed us to look at the sun with our bear eyes and we saw 99% totality.

[@Sponge_Bobby2024]

Alaska airlines AS322 had the perfect eclipse, from San Diego to Washington Dulles

[@JP-Au-Schulz]

What a great experience, thanks for sharing it with us!

[@meister0388]

Hope you enjoyed KAUS! And Austin! Big fan and nice to see y’all came down

[@lilitharam44]

Thanks so much for sharing this with us! The light was odd and magical on the ground, very hard to describe. It was partly cloudy here in Memphis, part of the time it was obscured by clouds, but that helped us view it better without glasses. You could see the eclipse like it was behind a thin curtain.

[@shortylucy]

That was so beautiful!! I'm not crying, you're crying! ❤

[@angonsframes]

truly

[@cincycubfan23]

Love this! Awesome seeing the edges of totally beneath you on the ground. I live thisclose to the totality path, near Cincinnati, just a few miles outside of it. Had 99ish% coverage and not quite total darkness at my house …but as Jeb was trying to describe, the color palette of the twilight was completely different. Ethereal, powerful, and wild.

[@angelaterranova1577]

Super cool experience you all had! We saw it in Dallas and it was truly an amazing experience!

[@Lerxstification]

Exactly the vid that I was hoping for! I never expected anyone to think of this....thank goodness for The Brooks Crew!!!

[@FFEMTB08]

I saw the eclipse in totality during the 2017 one…. Unless you’ve seen it 100% in totality you don’t understand. It’s amazing.

[@Tamully]

This was great! Thanks you guys.

[@GurpreetSingh-ck4xk]

You welcome

[@JD-rt8ym]

Thanks Jeb for this. I didn't get a chance to see totality....and I LOVE Astronomy. The party on board looked like a blast....cool souvenirs. Thanks to you both! Cheers. ❤❤❤🎉🎉😊

[@michaelgiyer6778]

That would be an awesome experience

[@Erica_Brenda]

II've experienced several eclipses and I cherish observing them from the ground. The silence that ensues is what I love most; birds and animals fall silent, and an extraordinary tranquility descends upon the Earth. Each eclipse I've had the fortune to witness has been a delight. By chance, I've been in the path of all of them. For this recent one, I only experienced a 30% totality, but I still relished tracking it and exchanging stories and photos with friends across the USA.

[@andrewromero2797]

Born & raised in Austin so cool seeing that you were here at ABIA and on a special flight!

[@briansadler5225]

Now THAT is a once in a lifetime chance! So cool

[@rossginn1171]

Fun content,,thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@vinayrajkhunti5988]

IMO watching totality from the ground was the best experience. I watched it with my friends. We went to a park in Dallas. Laid down on the grass, & experienced this once in a lifetime moment. ❤

[@MesoscaleMikeyChasing]

Bro edited this faster than totality ended😂 Amazing work! It was wild to see in person

[@woodwardqueen]

I was wondering if (hoping) you guys were in the air! Love your videos and burst out laughing at the sun chips/moon pie/etc. Definitely didn't expect that level of enthusiasm from SouthWest, lol.

[@avianlook]

Saw these three planes on FR24 and was wondering if someone on there would be filming, I did not expect that someone to be you guys! What a watch!

[@elvisgirl7768]

Watch all your videos and love them - it’s my way of getting to travel and go places! When saw you were coming to Indy - wow that’s where I’m from (now live about 45 min NW of there) but just so cool you chose Indy, would have been lot fun to have met you! So wondering where and what you done after landing in Indy? We had about 2 min totality here at my location, yea, wow it was! Thank you for sharing

[@timpickering8255]

Always enjoy you and Susan's videos 😊

[@Evyenne]

So cool to see this! Thank you for sharing for us. 😊

[@avioncamper]

A Delta dude flying Southwest. Glad you took a flight for totality. You did not miss anything back home. It got a little dark, reminded me of the 2017 event. Thanks for the video.

[@GreenerGrass]

I’m airline agnostic these days!

[@LEVELGAZANOW]

Well, at least Southwest hasn’t been bankrupt and didn’t take the government bailout. Pretty smart idea to take Southwest.

[@andykillsu]

Except he missed the entire eclipse. He only saw the shadow

[@leocam3880]

It's incredibly rare when I get goosebumps - I got them watching this - a super pleasant surprise! Thank you!

[@fertileplanet7756]

This is the sort of stuff that makes Southwest a great airliner. The fact that they not only worked hard to make a flight that would go directly through the eclipse, but the fact that they also had a special celebration for it, as a sort of party on the plane, is simply amazing. That is why (though I have never flown Spirit or any other airline, so basically Southwest is the only one I have experienced), Southwest is my favorite airline.

[@faithcastillo9597]

WOW! Thanks for "taking" me along on this once in a lifetime trip.