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Window Seat

Minneapolis → Los Angeles

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

Best bet

Left side

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

It is close. The left edges it, mostly on Longs Peak, but the right 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.

MSP to LAX: 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.MSPLAXLEFT 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. Longs Peak

    LeftHalfway22 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 22 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Arches National Park

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  3. Canyonlands

    LeftThree quarters33 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Canyonlands, about 33 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Capitol Reef

    RightThree quarters10 mi off the route

    Capitol Reef is about 10 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Bryce Canyon

    Either sideThree quarters7 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon 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. Zion National Park

    Either sideThree quarters7 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Lake Mead

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  8. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end45 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 45 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

1,533 mi
Great-circle distance
249°
Course out of MSP
233°
Course into LAX
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?

Los Angeles → MinneapolisRight 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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