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Window Seat

Los Angeles → Atlanta

LAX–ATL · Los Angeles International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Sandia Mountains leads it, with 4 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.

LAX to ATL: 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.LAXATLLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
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. San Gorgonio Mountain

    Either sideEarly3 mi off the route

    San Gorgonio Mountain passes almost directly beneath early in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  2. San Jacinto Peak

    RightEarly24 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Sedona red rocks

    LeftQuarter in16 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Sedona red rocks, about 16 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftQuarter in49 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks is about 49 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Meteor Crater

    LeftQuarter in23 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Meteor Crater sits roughly 23 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Petrified Forest

    LeftQuarter in22 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Petrified Forest, about 22 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Sandia Mountains

    LeftHalfway20 mi off the route

    Sandia Mountains is about 20 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  8. Palo Duro Canyon

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

    Palo Duro Canyon passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    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

1,942 mi
Great-circle distance
81°
Course out of LAX
100°
Course into ATL
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?

Atlanta → Los AngelesRight 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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