Which side of the plane to sit on: New York to San Francisco?
Flying from New York to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
- rightView of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
- leftView of Watchung Outliers (mountain range)
- leftView of Moravian Church Settlements (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Long Island (island)
Flight path features
11:44 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Kern Mountains, the Grass Valley Canyon and the Big Brush Gorge (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Elkhead Mountains on the left.
- rightView of Kern Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Elkhead Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Grass Valley Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of Big Brush Gorge (deep canyon)
Landing views
11:28 AMDescending into San Francisco from the east, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.
- leftView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- leftView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
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 San Francisco?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Sparta Mountain (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Kern Mountains, the Grass Valley Canyon and the Big Brush Gorge (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Elkhead Mountains on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from New York?
Climbing out of New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the east, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.