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