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Window Seat

Los Angeles → Minneapolis

LAX–MSP · Los Angeles International Airport to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The right edges it, mostly on Longs Peak, but the left is not a bad seat.

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 MSP: 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.LAXMSPLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 45 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

    RightEarly45 mi off the route

    San Gorgonio Mountain is about 45 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Lake Mead

    Either sideQuarter in4 mi off the route

    Lake Mead passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  3. Zion National Park

    Either sideQuarter in7 mi off the route

    Zion National Park passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  4. Bryce Canyon

    Either sideQuarter in7 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  5. Capitol Reef

    LeftQuarter in10 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Capitol Reef sits roughly 10 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Canyonlands

    RightHalfway33 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Canyonlands, about 33 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Arches National Park

    Either sideHalfway6 mi off the route

    Arches National Park passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  8. Longs Peak

    RightHalfway22 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Longs Peak sits roughly 22 miles to the right.

    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

1,533 mi
Great-circle distance
53°
Course out of LAX
69°
Course into MSP
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?

Minneapolis → Los AngelesLeft 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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