NEW YORK – A New York City man proposed in one of the most epic ways imaginable, possibly outshadowing the largest shadow of the year.
Neil Albstein sat nervously in his seat, 30,000 feet in the air, preparing to ask his soulmate a life-changing question on their upcoming journey together.
Delta Flight 1218 departed from Austin on Monday afternoon and flew along the path of totality until it arrived in Detroit a few hours later. The flight was timed to give passengers the best opportunity to view the solar eclipse at its peak.
Albstein had already booked their eclipse flight before he planned on proposing to his girlfriend Michele Rosenblatt. After two months of planning, the stars aligned perfectly for the memorable moment.
“I was thinking, ‘How could I propose to Michelle in a way that would be special and unique?’” he wondered. “And it just hit me. ‘Why don’t I do it on the eclipse flight?'”
While Albstein waited until totality finished before proposing, he never expected others to pay attention to his proposal. He had planned to propose quietly, but many other passengers were also watching from their seats.
“Maybe 1 or 2 people around would notice, and then, it just it took off, literally and figuratively,” Albstein laughed. “Everyone was just so excited for us, and it was really incredible.”
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Rosenblatt said she is still smiling from that day.
“I can’t believe it,” she gleamed. “Everything was amazing about it.”
Monday’s eclipse was the last total eclipse to travel across North America until Aug. 12, 2045.