Skip to content
WanderNerd
Check a flight

Window Seat

Austin → Seattle

AUS–SEA · Austin–Bergstrom International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

Flight paths move around. Treat this as the better bet, not a promise.

What you might see

In flight order, with distance measured from the representative route.

AUS to SEA: where each landmark sits relative to the routeA diagram of the representative route running left to right, with the departure airport at the left and the arrival airport at the right. Landmarks on the left side of the aircraft are plotted above the route line and landmarks on the right side below it, each at its distance from the route. The numbered list below this diagram carries the same information as text.AUSSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011121314
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 69 miles); the shaded ends are the 40-mile zones around each airport where the runway in use decides the view. Numbers match the list below. Hollow markers didn't count toward the recommendation.

  1. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightHalfway18 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains is about 18 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Great Sand Dunes

    RightHalfway24 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Great Sand Dunes sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    LeftHalfway33 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for San Juan Mountains, about 33 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Maroon Bells

    RightHalfway34 mi off the route

    Maroon Bells is about 34 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Uinta Mountains

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

    Uinta Mountains passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  6. Bear Lake

    RightThree quarters29 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Bear Lake, about 29 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Great Salt Lake

    LeftThree quarters57 mi off the route

    Great Salt Lake is about 57 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Craters of the Moon

    RightThree quarters32 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Craters of the Moon sits roughly 32 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Sawtooth Range

    RightThree quarters13 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Sawtooth Range, about 13 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Hells Canyon

    RightThree quarters40 mi off the route

    Hells Canyon is about 40 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  11. Wallowa Mountains

    RightThree quarters11 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Wallowa Mountains sits roughly 11 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  12. Mount Adams

    LeftNear the end50 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Adams, about 50 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end69 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 69 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  14. Mount Rainier

    LeftNear the end20 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 20 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

The sun

Flying soon? Add your date and departure time and we'll work out where the sun should be, and which side gets less of it.

Airport codes or city names. SEA, Seattle, and Seattle-Tacoma all work.

Skip the date and you still get the landmark answer. Add it and we work out where the sun will be, using the departure airport's local time.

The route we used

1,769 mi
Great-circle distance
319°
Course out of AUS
304°
Course into SEA
13
Landmarks that counted

That is the shortest path between the two airports, used as a representative corridor rather than a flight plan. The first and last 40 miles are treated as uncertain, because that part of the flight is shaped by the runway in use and the published departure or arrival procedure. Anything in those zones is listed and marked, never counted toward the recommendation.

Left and right, from where?

Left and right are from your perspective sitting in the cabin, facing the front of the aircraft. Seat letters are not a reliable guide to which side you are on, because aircraft are configured differently.

Why this isn't guaranteed

Flights don't follow the same path every day. Runway configuration, weather deviations, traffic, and air traffic control all move the track around, and none of it is knowable in advance. We also have nothing to say about cloud cover, which is the other thing standing between you and Mount Rainier. The full method.

Flying the other way?

Seattle → AustinEither side

Calculated from scratch, not by flipping this one. The landmarks arrive in the opposite order, the sun is somewhere else entirely, and the answer changes with them.

Keep nerding