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New York → Burbank

JFK–BUR · John F. Kennedy International Airport to Hollywood Burbank 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.

JFK to BUR: 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.JFKBURLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 49 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. Manhattan

    Either sideEarly5 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

  2. Pikes Peak

    RightThree quarters49 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Pikes Peak sits roughly 49 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Great Sand Dunes, about 18 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains is about 28 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters36 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 36 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Shiprock

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Shiprock, about 32 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Monument Valley

    RightThree quarters9 mi off the route

    Monument Valley is about 9 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Strong candidate

  8. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters32 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Powell sits roughly 32 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters11 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 11 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  10. Lake Mead

    RightNear the end44 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 44 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end41 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 41 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

2,460 mi
Great-circle distance
274°
Course out of JFK
246°
Course into BUR
10
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?

Burbank → New YorkEither 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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