Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Boston?
Flying from San Francisco to Boston? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
11:51 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Cedar Mountains and the McCormick Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Antelope Range and the Kettle Point on the right.
- rightView of Antelope Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Cedar Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Kettle Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of McCormick Point (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
5:42 PMDescending into Boston from the west, the right window looks out over the Metacomet Ridge, the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Desert of Maine on the left.
- rightView of Metacomet Ridge (mountain range)
- rightView of Blue Hill Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Noepe (island)
- leftView of Desert of Maine (desert expanse)
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 San Francisco to Boston?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Coyote Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Cedar Mountains and the McCormick Point (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Antelope Range and the Kettle Point on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
What about on the descent into Boston?
Descending into Boston from the west, the right window looks out over the Metacomet Ridge, the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Desert of Maine on the left.