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Burbank → Seattle

BUR–SEA · Hollywood Burbank 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.

BUR 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.BURSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 95 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. Mount Whitney

    RightQuarter in36 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 36 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  2. Half Dome

    LeftQuarter in14 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Half Dome sits roughly 14 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Mono Lake

    RightQuarter in18 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mono Lake, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Lake Tahoe

    LeftHalfway21 mi off the route

    Lake Tahoe is about 21 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  5. Mount Shasta

    LeftHalfway95 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Shasta sits roughly 95 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Three Sisters

    LeftThree quarters30 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Three Sisters, about 30 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount Jefferson

    LeftThree quarters22 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 22 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Mount Hood

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

    Mount Hood passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  9. Columbia River Gorge

    Either sideNear the end5 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end17 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 17 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end15 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 15 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

  12. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end15 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Rainier, about 15 miles out.

    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

938 mi
Great-circle distance
349°
Course out of BUR
346°
Course into SEA
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?

Seattle → BurbankEither 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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