Which side of the plane to sit on: Seattle to Mexico City?
Flying from Seattle to Mexico City? 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
9:06 AMClimbing out of Seattle toward the southeast, the left window looks out over the Issaquah Alps, the Whidby Island and the Scablands (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Goat Rocks on the right.
- rightView of Goat Rocks (mountain range)
- leftView of Issaquah Alps (mountain range)
- leftView of Whidby Island (island)
- leftView of Scablands (desert expanse)
Flight path features
11:29 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cookes Range, St. Louis the King Cathedral, San Luis Potosí and the Grand Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sierra del Yeso on the left.
- leftView of Sierra del Yeso (mountain range)
- rightView of Cookes Range (mountain range)
- rightView of St. Louis the King Cathedral, San Luis Potosí (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Grand Canyon (mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado)
Landing views
2:59 PMDescending into Mexico City from the northwest, the left window looks out over the El Doctor Mountains and Teotihuacan (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cerros Los Potrerillos and Mexico City on the right.
- leftView of El Doctor Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Cerros Los Potrerillos (mountain range)
- leftView of Teotihuacan (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Mexico City (city skyline and lights)
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 Seattle to Mexico City?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cookes Range, St. Louis the King Cathedral, San Luis Potosí and the Grand Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sierra del Yeso on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Seattle?
Climbing out of Seattle toward the southeast, the left window looks out over the Issaquah Alps, the Whidby Island and the Scablands (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Goat Rocks on the right.
What about on the descent into Mexico City?
Descending into Mexico City from the northwest, the left window looks out over the El Doctor Mountains and Teotihuacan (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cerros Los Potrerillos and Mexico City on the right.