Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Newark?
Flying from San Francisco to Newark? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the LEFT: View of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of San Francisco toward the east, 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
11:43 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Kern Mountains, the Fish Creek Range and the Grass Valley Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks).
- leftView of Kern Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Fish Creek Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Grass Valley Canyon (deep canyon)
- leftView of Big Brush Gorge (deep canyon)
Landing views
5:26 PMDescending into Newark from the west, the right window looks out over the Indian Hills and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Muncy Hills and the Long Island on the left.
- rightView of Indian Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Muncy Hills (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).
- 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 Newark?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Berkeley Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Kern Mountains, the Fish Creek Range and the Grass Valley Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the east, 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 Newark?
Descending into Newark from the west, the right window looks out over the Indian Hills and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Muncy Hills and the Long Island on the left.