Eclipse travelers start to arrive at Syracuse airport

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – Often when people are arriving at the airport in Syracuse they’re returning home, but Monday’s solar eclipse is making Central New York a destination.

“We were actually scheduled to fly to Dallas and had tickets and hotels and everything, and you know it’s stormy there. So, we canceled all that and booked a ticket to Syracuse a couple days ago,” Uzma Khan, traveling from Los Angeles, said.

Syracuse was an appealing option on the map of totality for a few reasons.

“The weather looked the best, and it was the most central, so if we needed to drive, it was a little more convenient from that standpoint,” Khan said.

Redeyes from California and early morning flights from Chicago all to experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s happening right over Central New York’s backyards.

“I think just that it’s so rare that we are going to have something like a solar eclipse so close and so visible, fingers crossed it’s not cloudy. Just being able to have that so close and being like a time where I can see it is honestly the highlight of my day,” Abigail Gordon, traveling from Chicago, said.

And for others flying into Syracuse, the eclipse is just a happy coincidence.

“I’m from Upstate New York. I grew up in Appalachia, and have been living back in Vestal, but just moved back to the West coast, and I had this trip planned, and then I found out that it is the solar eclipse,” Catherine Card explained.

From three different places, but all excited to experience something they may only get to see once.