Which side of the plane to sit on: Chicago to Toronto?
Flying from Chicago to Toronto? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Hadley Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 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
9:35 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Hadley Hills, the Irish Hills and the Kettle Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with The Thumb on the left.
- rightView of Hadley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Irish Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Kettle Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of The Thumb (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
11:08 AMDescending into Toronto from the west, the right window looks out over the McCormick Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Blacks Point on the left.
- rightView of McCormick Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of Blacks Point (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of Niagara Falls (the thundering falls on the US-Canada border)
- rightView of Great Falls (waterfall)
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 Chicago to Toronto?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Hadley Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Hadley Hills, the Irish Hills and the Kettle Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with The Thumb on the left.
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 Toronto?
Descending into Toronto from the west, the right window looks out over the McCormick Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Blacks Point on the left.