Which side of the plane to sit on: Los Angeles to New York?
Flying from Los Angeles to New York? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the LEFT: View of Grand Canyon (mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: mediumTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Los Angeles toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the San Gabriel Mountains, Mount Baden-Powell and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks).
- leftView of San Gabriel Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Mount Baden-Powell (2,867 m peak)
- leftView of Laurel Canyon (deep canyon)
- leftView of High Desert (desert expanse)
Flight path features
11:37 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Grand Canyon, the Monument Valley and South River Peak (canyons and wild country).
- leftView of Grand Canyon (mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado)
- leftView of Monument Valley (red sandstone buttes of the Southwest)
- leftView of South River Peak (4,009 m peak)
- leftView of Crestone Peak (4,357 m peak)
Landing views
5:15 PMDescending into New York from the west, the left window looks out over Manhattan skyline (the city spread out below).
- leftCity lights of Manhattan skyline (New York City's skyscraper grid)
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.
- Close call: the route passes almost directly over the San Gabriel Mountains (~7 km off the path), so normal air-traffic routing could put it out of the other window.
About this flight
The Los Angeles–New York flight covers roughly 3,974 km along the great-circle path, heading broadly north-east (66°) out of LAX, with a typical time in the air of about 5h 22m. You'll cross time zones on the way (America/Los_Angeles → America/New_York), which shifts where sunrise and sunset catch the aircraft - that's factored into the verdict above. Along or near this corridor the engine tracks sights such as the San Gabriel Mountains, Mount Baden-Powell, the Laurel Canyon, the High Desert, the Grand Canyon, the Monument Valley - each one is assigned to the left or right window based on its bearing relative to the aircraft's nose at the moment you pass it.
Does the season change the answer?
On this route the answer barely moves with the calendar: the left side wins whether you fly in June or December, morning or evening. That stability comes from the route's north-eastward heading - the geometry between the sun's path and the aircraft doesn't change enough across the year to flip the verdict.
New to picking window seats? Read the complete window-seat guide or see how these verdicts are computed.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Los Angeles to New York?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Grand Canyon (mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Grand Canyon, the Monument Valley and South River Peak (canyons and wild country).
What views will you get at takeoff from Los Angeles?
Climbing out of Los Angeles toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the San Gabriel Mountains, Mount Baden-Powell and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks).
What about on the descent into New York?
Descending into New York from the west, the left window looks out over Manhattan skyline (the city spread out below).
Does the best side change with the season?
On this route the answer barely moves with the calendar: the left side wins whether you fly in June or December, morning or evening. That stability comes from the route's north-eastward heading - the geometry between the sun's path and the aircraft doesn't change enough across the year to flip the verdict.