Which side of the plane to sit on: New York to Los Angeles?
Flying from New York 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 Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
- leftView of Watchung Outliers (mountain range)
- rightView of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
- leftView of Moravian Church Settlements (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Long Island (island)
Flight path features
11:37 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Long Mountain, the Wolf Rocks and Mesa Verde National Park (mountain ridges and peaks).
- rightView of Long Mountain (mountain range)
- rightView of Wolf Rocks (mountain range)
- rightView of Mesa Verde National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Grand Canyon (mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado)
Landing views
11:15 AMDescending into Los Angeles from the northeast, the right window looks out over the San Gabriel Mountains, the Deadman Hills and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the San Timoteo Canyon on the left.
- rightView of San Gabriel Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Deadman Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Laurel Canyon (deep canyon)
- leftView of San Timoteo 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 New York to Los Angeles?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Sparta Mountain (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Long Mountain, the Wolf Rocks and Mesa Verde National Park (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from New York?
Climbing out of New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
What about on the descent into Los Angeles?
Descending into Los Angeles from the northeast, the right window looks out over the San Gabriel Mountains, the Deadman Hills and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the San Timoteo Canyon on the left.