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Window Seat

Detroit → Los Angeles

DTW–LAX · Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Los Angeles International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The right edges it, mostly on San Juan Mountains, but the left is not a bad seat.

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.

DTW to LAX: 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.DTWLAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 43 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. Chicago skyline

    Either sideEarly2 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  2. Pikes Peak

    RightHalfway16 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Pikes Peak sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters11 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for San Juan Mountains, about 11 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Monument Valley

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  5. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters21 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Powell sits roughly 21 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters19 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 19 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  7. Lake Mead

    RightNear the end43 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 43 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end31 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 31 miles to the left.

    Distant 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

1,975 mi
Great-circle distance
265°
Course out of DTW
243°
Course into LAX
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?

Los Angeles → DetroitLeft 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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