Which side of the plane to sit on: Los Angeles to Mexico City?
Flying from Los Angeles to Mexico City? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the LEFT: View of Dominguez Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Los Angeles toward the southeast over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Dominguez Hills, the Santa Ana Mountains and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline on the right.
- leftView of Dominguez Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Santa Ana Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of the Pacific coastline
- leftView of Laurel Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
10:43 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Sierra Tesota, the Sierra de Sombrerete and Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta biosphere reserve (mountain ridges and peaks).
- leftView of Sierra Tesota (mountain range)
- leftView of Sierra de Sombrerete (mountain range)
- leftView of Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta biosphere reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
1:23 PMDescending into Mexico City from the northwest, the right window looks out over the Santa Catarina and the Cerros Los Potrerillos (mountain ridges and peaks), with Templo y exconvento de San Francisco and Teotihuacan on the left.
- rightView of Santa Catarina (mountain range)
- rightView of Cerros Los Potrerillos (mountain range)
- leftView of Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Teotihuacan (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
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 Los Angeles to Mexico City?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Dominguez Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Sierra Tesota, the Sierra de Sombrerete and Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta biosphere reserve (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from Los Angeles?
Climbing out of Los Angeles toward the southeast over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Dominguez Hills, the Santa Ana Mountains and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline on the right.
What about on the descent into Mexico City?
Descending into Mexico City from the northwest, the right window looks out over the Santa Catarina and the Cerros Los Potrerillos (mountain ridges and peaks), with Templo y exconvento de San Francisco and Teotihuacan on the left.