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Window Seat

Charlotte → Las Vegas

CLT–LAS · Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Harry Reid 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.

CLT to LAS: 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.CLTLASLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 51 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. Blue Ridge Mountains

    RightEarly22 mi off the route

    Blue Ridge Mountains is about 22 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Great Smoky Mountains

    Either sideEarly4 mi off the route

    Great Smoky Mountains passes almost directly beneath early in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  3. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightThree quarters51 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 51 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Rio Grande Gorge

    LeftThree quarters25 mi off the route

    Rio Grande Gorge is about 25 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Shiprock

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  6. Monument Valley

    RightNear the end28 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Monument Valley, about 28 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Lake Powell

    RightNear the end32 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 32 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    LeftNear the end21 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Grand Canyon sits roughly 21 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

  9. Lake Mead

    Either sideNear the end5 mi off the route

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

    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

1,912 mi
Great-circle distance
282°
Course out of CLT
262°
Course into LAS
6
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?

Las Vegas → CharlotteEither 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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