Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Orlando?
Flying from San Francisco to Orlando? 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 San Francisco toward the east, the right window looks out over the Coyote Hills, the Burnt Hills and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the left.
- rightView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Burnt 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
11:36 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Gravel Hills, the Moccasin Mountains and Poverty Point National Monument (mountain ridges and peaks), with Chaco Culture on the right.
- leftView of Gravel Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Moccasin Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Chaco Culture (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Poverty Point National Monument (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
5:12 PMDescending into Orlando from the northwest, the left window looks out over Lake George and the Waccasassa Bay (open water and shoreline), with Lake Kissimmee and the Crystal Cove on the right.
- rightView of Lake Kissimmee (large lake)
- leftView of Lake George (large lake)
- rightView of Crystal Cove (bay and coastline)
- leftView of Waccasassa Bay (bay and coastline)
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 Orlando?
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 Gravel Hills, the Moccasin Mountains and Poverty Point National Monument (mountain ridges and peaks), with Chaco Culture on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the east, the right window looks out over the Coyote Hills, the Burnt Hills and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the left.
What about on the descent into Orlando?
Descending into Orlando from the northwest, the left window looks out over Lake George and the Waccasassa Bay (open water and shoreline), with Lake Kissimmee and the Crystal Cove on the right.