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Boston → San Diego

BOS–SAN · Boston Logan International Airport to San Diego 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.

BOS to SAN: 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.BOSSANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 40 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. Catskill Mountains

    LeftEarly24 mi off the route

    Catskill Mountains is about 24 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Finger Lakes

    RightEarly27 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Finger Lakes sits roughly 27 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Great Sand Dunes

    RightThree quarters31 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Great Sand Dunes, about 31 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains is about 20 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters35 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Shiprock sits roughly 35 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Canyon de Chelly

    RightThree quarters17 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Canyon de Chelly, about 17 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters11 mi off the route

    Painted Desert is about 11 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Meteor Crater

    LeftNear the end18 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Meteor Crater sits roughly 18 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Francisco Peaks

    RightNear the end17 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for San Francisco Peaks, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Sedona red rocks

    LeftNear the end10 mi off the route

    Sedona red rocks is about 10 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. Salton Sea

    Either sideNear the end0 mi off the route

    Salton Sea passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

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

2,582 mi
Great-circle distance
271°
Course out of BOS
241°
Course into SAN
10
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?

San Diego → BostonEither 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.

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