Which side of the plane to sit on: Chicago to New York?
Flying from Chicago to New York? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Chicago toward the east, the right window looks out over the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and the Gary Harbor (canyons and wild country), with the Gogebic Range on the left.
- leftView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- rightView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
- rightView of Gary Harbor (bay and coastline)
Flight path features
9:54 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Muncy Hills, the Irish Hills and the Point Pelee National Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the right.
- leftView of Muncy Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Irish Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Point Pelee National Park (national park)
- rightView of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (national park)
Landing views
11:45 AMDescending into New York from the west, the right window looks out over the Indian Hills and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the left.
- rightView of Indian Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
- rightView of Moravian Church Settlements (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Long 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).
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Chicago to New York?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Muncy Hills, the Irish Hills and the Point Pelee National Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Chicago?
Climbing out of Chicago toward the east, the right window looks out over the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and the Gary Harbor (canyons and wild country), with the Gogebic Range on the left.
What about on the descent into New York?
Descending into New York from the west, the right window looks out over the Indian Hills and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the left.