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Which side of the plane to sit on: Rome to New York?

Flying from Rome to New York? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.

:
Rome (FCO) → New York (JFK)6,866 km~8h 59mDep 9:00 AM daytimeArr 11:58 AM daytime

It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.

The best window changes along the way.

Confidence: low

Takeoff views

9:05 AM
Daytime

Climbing out of Rome toward the northwest over the Tyrrhenian Sea, the right window looks out over the Monti della Tolfa, the Uccellina Hills and Via Appia (mountain ridges and peaks).

  • rightView of Monti della Tolfa (mountain range)
  • rightView of Uccellina Hills (mountain range)
  • rightView of Via Appia (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
  • rightView of Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Flight path features

1:29 PM
Daytime

Out over the Atlantic, the right window looks out over the Mercantour and the Monts de Blond (mountain ridges and peaks), with Old Town Lunenburg and Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera on the left.

  • rightView of Mercantour (mountain range)
  • rightView of Monts de Blond (mountain range)
  • leftView of Old Town Lunenburg (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
  • leftView of Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Landing views

11:53 AM
Daytime

Descending into New York from the northeast over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over The Hills, the Shinnecock Hills and the coastline (mountain ridges and peaks).

  • leftView of The Hills (mountain range)
  • leftView of Shinnecock Hills (mountain range)
  • leftView of the Atlantic coastline
  • leftView of Long Island (island)

Good to know

  • Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
  • "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
  • Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.

Frequently asked questions

Which side of the plane should you sit on from Rome to New York?

It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Out over the Atlantic, the right window looks out over the Mercantour and the Monts de Blond (mountain ridges and peaks), with Old Town Lunenburg and Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera on the left.

What views will you get at takeoff from Rome?

Climbing out of Rome toward the northwest over the Tyrrhenian Sea, the right window looks out over the Monti della Tolfa, the Uccellina Hills and Via Appia (mountain ridges and peaks).

What about on the descent into New York?

Descending into New York from the northeast over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over The Hills, the Shinnecock Hills and the coastline (mountain ridges and peaks).