Which side of the plane to sit on: Los Angeles to Istanbul?
Flying from Los Angeles to Istanbul? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Long Buttes (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:08 AMClimbing out of Los Angeles toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Bissell Hills and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Long Buttes and the High Desert on the right.
- leftView of Bissell Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Long Buttes (mountain range)
- leftView of Laurel Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of High Desert (desert expanse)
Flight path features
4:04 PMOut over the Baffin Bay, the right window looks out over the Buel Range and the Centennial Mountains (mountain ridges and peaks), with Vestnorsk fjordlandskap and Srebarna on the left.
- rightView of Buel Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Centennial Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Vestnorsk fjordlandskap (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Srebarna (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
9:00 AMDescending into Istanbul from the northwest over the Black Sea, the right window looks out over the Istranca, the Ömeraltı Dağları and Madara Rider (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline on the left.
- rightView of Istranca (mountain range)
- rightView of Ömeraltı Dağları (mountain range)
- rightView of Madara Rider (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of the Black Sea coastline
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 Los Angeles to Istanbul?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Long Buttes (mountain range). Out over the Baffin Bay, the right window looks out over the Buel Range and the Centennial Mountains (mountain ridges and peaks), with Vestnorsk fjordlandskap and Srebarna on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Los Angeles?
Climbing out of Los Angeles toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Bissell Hills and the Laurel Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Long Buttes and the High Desert on the right.
What about on the descent into Istanbul?
Descending into Istanbul from the northwest over the Black Sea, the right window looks out over the Istranca, the Ömeraltı Dağları and Madara Rider (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline on the left.