Which side of the plane to sit on: Orlando to San Francisco?
Flying from Orlando to San Francisco? 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 Orlando toward the northwest, the left window looks out over Lake Kissimmee and the Crystal Cove (open water and shoreline), with Lake George and the Dead River on the right.
- leftView of Lake Kissimmee (large lake)
- rightView of Lake George (large lake)
- leftView of Crystal Cove (bay and coastline)
- rightView of Dead River (bay and coastline)
Flight path features
11:36 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Gravel Hills, the Moccasin Mountains and Poverty Point National Monument (mountain ridges and peaks), with Chaco Culture on the left.
- rightView of Gravel Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Moccasin Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Chaco Culture (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Poverty Point National Monument (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
11:12 AMDescending into San Francisco from the east, the left window looks out over the Coyote Hills, the Burnt Hills and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the right.
- leftView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Burnt 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 Orlando to San Francisco?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Gravel Hills, the Moccasin Mountains and Poverty Point National Monument (mountain ridges and peaks), with Chaco Culture on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Orlando?
Climbing out of Orlando toward the northwest, the left window looks out over Lake Kissimmee and the Crystal Cove (open water and shoreline), with Lake George and the Dead River on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the east, the left window looks out over the Coyote Hills, the Burnt Hills and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the right.