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Fort Lauderdale → San Francisco

FLL–SFO · Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport to San Francisco International Airport

Best bet

Left side

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

It is close. The left edges it, mostly on Grand Canyon, but the right 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.

FLL to SFO: 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.FLLSFOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011121314
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 65 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 Everglades

    LeftEarly21 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

  2. Lake Okeechobee

    RightEarly34 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Lake Okeechobee sits roughly 34 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Tampa Bay

    RightEarly34 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Tampa Bay, about 34 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Sandia Mountains

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  5. Canyon de Chelly

    RightThree quarters16 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Canyon de Chelly sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters35 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Painted Desert, about 35 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftThree quarters65 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks is about 65 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters45 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Powell sits roughly 45 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. 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

  10. Lake Mead

    LeftThree quarters33 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 33 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  11. Death Valley

    LeftNear the end42 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Death Valley sits roughly 42 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  12. Mount Whitney

    LeftNear the end45 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Whitney, about 45 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Half Dome

    RightNear the end26 mi off the route

    Half Dome is about 26 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  14. San Francisco Bay

    Either sideNear the end3 mi off the route

    Whether San Francisco Bay appears comes down to how you come into SFO, which is not something we can know in advance.

    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

2,579 mi
Great-circle distance
299°
Course out of FLL
276°
Course into SFO
11
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 Francisco → Fort LauderdaleRight 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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