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New York → Seattle

JFK–SEA · John F. Kennedy International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma 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 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.JFKSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 63 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 sideEarly0 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. Sleeping Bear Dunes

    RightQuarter in20 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Sleeping Bear Dunes sits roughly 20 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Glacier National Park

    RightThree quarters63 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Glacier National Park, about 63 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Flathead Lake

    Either sideThree quarters5 mi off the route

    Flathead Lake 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. Glacier Peak

    RightNear the end39 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Glacier Peak sits roughly 39 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Mount Rainier

    LeftNear the end44 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Rainier, about 44 miles out.

    Good 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

2,415 mi
Great-circle distance
298°
Course out of JFK
263°
Course into SEA
4
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 → 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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