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New York → Palm Springs

JFK–PSP · John F. Kennedy International Airport to Palm Springs International 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 PSP: 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.JFKPSPLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 47 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 sideEarly6 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. Great Sand Dunes

    RightThree quarters31 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Great Sand Dunes sits roughly 31 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 20 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters21 mi off the route

    Shiprock is about 21 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Canyon de Chelly

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  6. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

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

    Distant possibility

  7. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftNear the end10 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks is about 10 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    RightNear the end47 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Grand Canyon sits roughly 47 miles to the right.

    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

2,373 mi
Great-circle distance
273°
Course out of JFK
246°
Course into PSP
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?

Palm Springs → 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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