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Window Seat

Portland → Charlotte

PDX–CLT · Portland International Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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.

PDX to CLT: 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.PDXCLTLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 90 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 St. Helens

    LeftEarly43 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 43 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mount Rainier

    LeftEarly90 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 90 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftEarly11 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge sits close enough to PDX that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  4. Mount Jefferson

    RightEarly61 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 61 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Hood

    RightEarly12 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Hood sits roughly 12 miles to the right.

    Strong candidate

  6. Mount Adams

    LeftEarly46 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Mount Adams, about 46 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Wallowa Mountains

    Either sideEarly3 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  8. Hells Canyon

    LeftEarly13 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Hells Canyon sits roughly 13 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Grand Teton

    RightQuarter in49 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Grand Teton, about 49 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Yellowstone Lake

    Either sideQuarter in4 mi off the route

    Yellowstone Lake 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

  11. Bighorn Mountains

    LeftQuarter in34 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Bighorn Mountains sits roughly 34 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  12. Blue Ridge Mountains

    Either sideNear the end6 mi off the route

    Blue Ridge Mountains 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

2,277 mi
Great-circle distance
93°
Course out of PDX
121°
Course into CLT
8
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?

Charlotte → PortlandEither 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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