Which side of the plane to sit on: Boston to San Francisco?
Flying from Boston to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the LEFT: View of Metacomet Ridge (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Boston toward the west, the left window looks out over the Metacomet Ridge, the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Desert of Maine on the right.
- leftView of Metacomet Ridge (mountain range)
- leftView of Blue Hill Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Noepe (island)
- rightView of Desert of Maine (desert expanse)
Flight path features
11:51 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Antelope Range and the Kettle Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cedar Mountains and the McCormick Point on the right.
- leftView of Antelope Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Cedar Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Kettle Point (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of McCormick Point (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
11:42 AMDescending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.
- leftView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Berkeley 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 Boston to San Francisco?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Metacomet Ridge (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Antelope Range and the Kettle Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cedar Mountains and the McCormick Point on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Boston?
Climbing out of Boston toward the west, the left window looks out over the Metacomet Ridge, the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Desert of Maine on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.