Which side of the plane to sit on: Vancouver to Los Angeles?
Flying from Vancouver to Los Angeles? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Gowlland Range (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Vancouver toward the south, the left window looks out over the Chuckanut Mountains and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Gowlland Range and the Bowen Island National Park Reserve on the right.
- leftView of Chuckanut Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Gowlland Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Whidby Island (island)
- rightView of Bowen Island National Park Reserve (national park)
Flight path features
10:14 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Paulina Mountains and the Carson Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Columbia River Gorge and the Carson River Canyon on the left.
- rightView of Paulina Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Carson Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Columbia River Gorge (deep canyon)
- leftView of Carson River Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
11:26 AMDescending into Los Angeles from the north, the right window looks out over the Santa Susana Mountains, the Santa Cruz Island and the San Francisquito Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Tehachapi Mountains on the left.
- rightView of Santa Susana Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Tehachapi Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Santa Cruz Island (island)
- rightView of San Francisquito 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 Vancouver to Los Angeles?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Gowlland Range (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Paulina Mountains and the Carson Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Columbia River Gorge and the Carson River Canyon on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Vancouver?
Climbing out of Vancouver toward the south, the left window looks out over the Chuckanut Mountains and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Gowlland Range and the Bowen Island National Park Reserve on the right.
What about on the descent into Los Angeles?
Descending into Los Angeles from the north, the right window looks out over the Santa Susana Mountains, the Santa Cruz Island and the San Francisquito Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Tehachapi Mountains on the left.