Which side of the plane to sit on: Phoenix to New York?
Flying from Phoenix to New York? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Usery Mountain (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Phoenix toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Sierra Ancha and the Cataract Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Usery Mountain and the Alchesay Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Usery Mountain (mountain range)
- leftView of Sierra Ancha (mountain range)
- leftView of Cataract Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of Alchesay Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
11:18 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cerrillos Hills, the Blacklog Mountain and Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (mountain ridges and peaks).
- rightView of Cerrillos Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Blacklog Mountain (mountain range)
- rightView of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Apache Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
4:34 PMDescending into New York from the west, the left window looks out over the Indian Hills, Moravian Church Settlements and the Long Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Watchung Outliers on the right.
- rightView of Watchung Outliers (mountain range)
- leftView of Indian Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Moravian Church Settlements (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Long Island (island)
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 Phoenix to New York?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Usery Mountain (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cerrillos Hills, the Blacklog Mountain and Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from Phoenix?
Climbing out of Phoenix toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Sierra Ancha and the Cataract Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Usery Mountain and the Alchesay Canyon on the right.
What about on the descent into New York?
Descending into New York from the west, the left window looks out over the Indian Hills, Moravian Church Settlements and the Long Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Watchung Outliers on the right.