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Fairbanks → Seattle

FAI–SEA · Fairbanks International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

the Alaska Range leads it, with 5 more on the same side.

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.

FAI 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.FAISEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 82 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. the Alaska Range

    RightEarly41 mi off the route

    the Alaska Range is about 41 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mount Logan

    RightQuarter in56 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Mount Logan sits roughly 56 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Saint Elias

    RightQuarter in82 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mount Saint Elias, about 82 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Fairweather

    RightQuarter in60 mi off the route

    Mount Fairweather is about 60 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Glacier Bay

    RightHalfway32 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Glacier Bay sits roughly 32 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Misty Fjords

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. the Coast Mountains

    LeftThree quarters22 mi off the route

    the Coast Mountains is about 22 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. San Juan Islands

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  9. Mount Baker

    LeftNear the end65 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Baker, about 65 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Olympic Mountains

    RightNear the end48 mi off the route

    Olympic Mountains is about 48 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Puget Sound

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

    Puget Sound sits close enough to SEA that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

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

1,530 mi
Great-circle distance
129°
Course out of FAI
151°
Course into SEA
8
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 → FairbanksLeft 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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