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Window Seat

Chicago → San Diego

ORD–SAN · Chicago O'Hare International Airport to San Diego 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 Great Sand Dunes, 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.

ORD to SAN: 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.ORDSANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 64 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. Great Sand Dunes

    RightHalfway9 mi off the route

    Great Sand Dunes is about 9 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  3. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters19 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Shiprock, about 19 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Canyon de Chelly

    Either sideThree quarters2 mi off the route

    Canyon de Chelly 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. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters24 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Painted Desert sits roughly 24 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Grand Canyon

    RightThree quarters64 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 64 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. San Francisco Peaks

    Either sideThree quarters7 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks 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. Sedona red rocks

    LeftThree quarters20 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Sedona red rocks sits roughly 20 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Salton Sea

    Either sideNear the end3 mi off the route

    Salton Sea passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, 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

1,720 mi
Great-circle distance
258°
Course out of ORD
240°
Course into SAN
5
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?

San Diego → ChicagoLeft 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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