Which side of the plane to sit on: New York to Seattle?
Flying from New York to Seattle? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of New York toward the northwest, the right window looks out over the Sparta Mountain, the Ramapo Mountains and the Long Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Bushkill Falls on the left.
- rightView of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
- rightView of Ramapo Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Long Island (island)
- leftView of Bushkill Falls (waterfall)
Flight path features
11:34 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Holiday Hills and The Thumb (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cuyuna Range and the Blacks Point on the right.
- rightView of Cuyuna Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Holiday Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of The Thumb (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of Blacks Point (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
11:09 AMDescending into Seattle from the east, the left window looks out over the Wenache Mountains, the Beezley Hills and the Scablands (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Whidby Island on the right.
- leftView of Wenache Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Beezley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Whidby Island (island)
- leftView of Scablands (desert expanse)
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 New York to Seattle?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Holiday Hills and The Thumb (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cuyuna Range and the Blacks Point on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from New York?
Climbing out of New York toward the northwest, the right window looks out over the Sparta Mountain, the Ramapo Mountains and the Long Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Bushkill Falls on the left.
What about on the descent into Seattle?
Descending into Seattle from the east, the left window looks out over the Wenache Mountains, the Beezley Hills and the Scablands (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Whidby Island on the right.