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Which side of the plane to sit on: Seattle to Atlanta?

Flying from Seattle to Atlanta? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.

:
Seattle (SEA) → Atlanta (ATL)3,505 km~4h 47mDep 9:00 AM daytimeArr 4:46 PM daytime

It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.

The best window changes along the way.

Confidence: low

Takeoff views

9:05 AM
Daytime

Climbing out of Seattle toward the east, the left window looks out over the Issaquah Alps, the Wenache Mountains and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks).

  • leftView of Issaquah Alps (mountain range)
  • leftView of Wenache Mountains (mountain range)
  • leftView of Whidby Island (island)
  • leftView of Yaxon Canyon (deep canyon)

Flight path features

11:20 AM
Daytime

Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Red Hills, the Buck Creek Hills and Yellowstone Park (mountain ridges and peaks).

  • rightView of Red Hills (mountain range)
  • rightView of Buck Creek Hills (mountain range)
  • rightView of Yellowstone Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
  • rightView of Horseshoe Canyon (deep canyon)

Landing views

4:38 PM
Daytime

Descending into Atlanta from the northwest, the left window looks out over The Hills and the Barren Hills (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Grace's High Falls and the Hightower Falls on the right.

  • leftView of The Hills (mountain range)
  • leftView of Barren Hills (mountain range)
  • rightView of Grace's High Falls (waterfall)
  • rightView of Hightower Falls (waterfall)

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 Seattle to Atlanta?

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 Red Hills, the Buck Creek Hills and Yellowstone Park (mountain ridges and peaks).

What views will you get at takeoff from Seattle?

Climbing out of Seattle toward the east, the left window looks out over the Issaquah Alps, the Wenache Mountains and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks).

What about on the descent into Atlanta?

Descending into Atlanta from the northwest, the left window looks out over The Hills and the Barren Hills (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Grace's High Falls and the Hightower Falls on the right.