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Ontario → Seattle

ONT–SEA · Ontario International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Hood leads it, with 6 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.

ONT 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.ONTSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 46 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. Mount Whitney

    Either sideQuarter in3 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney 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

  2. Mono Lake

    LeftQuarter in11 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Mono Lake sits roughly 11 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Lake Tahoe

    LeftHalfway46 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Lake Tahoe, about 46 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Three Sisters

    LeftThree quarters40 mi off the route

    Three Sisters is about 40 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Jefferson

    LeftThree quarters30 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Jefferson sits roughly 30 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Mount Hood

    LeftThree quarters12 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Hood, about 12 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  7. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftNear the end10 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge is about 10 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  8. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end13 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Adams sits roughly 13 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  9. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end19 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount St. Helens, about 19 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end13 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 13 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Strong candidate

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

957 mi
Great-circle distance
347°
Course out of ONT
344°
Course into SEA
9
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 → OntarioRight 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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