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Honolulu → Boston

HNL–BOS · Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Lassen Peak leads it, with 3 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.

HNL to BOS: 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.HNLBOSLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 94 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. Diamond Head

    Either sideEarly8 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

  2. Mount Shasta

    LeftHalfway94 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Shasta sits roughly 94 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Lassen Peak

    LeftHalfway22 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Lassen Peak, about 22 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Bear Lake

    RightHalfway34 mi off the route

    Bear Lake is about 34 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Wind River Range

    LeftThree quarters27 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Wind River Range sits roughly 27 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Black Hills

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Black Hills, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Badlands

    Either sideThree quarters2 mi off the route

    Badlands passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, 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

5,087 mi
Great-circle distance
50°
Course out of HNL
104°
Course into BOS
5
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?

Boston → HonoluluRight 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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