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Raleigh–Durham → Los Angeles

RDU–LAX · Raleigh–Durham 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 San Gorgonio Mountain, 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.

RDU 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.RDULAXLEFT 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. Blue Ridge Mountains

    LeftEarly33 mi off the route

    Blue Ridge Mountains is about 33 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Petrified Forest

    LeftThree quarters29 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Petrified Forest sits roughly 29 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Painted Desert

    Either sideThree quarters2 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  4. Meteor Crater

    LeftThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Meteor Crater is about 20 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters8 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Francisco Peaks sits roughly 8 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Sedona red rocks

    LeftThree quarters24 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Sedona red rocks, about 24 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Grand Canyon

    RightThree quarters64 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 64 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftNear the end33 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 33 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end12 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for San Gorgonio Mountain, about 12 miles out.

    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

2,234 mi
Great-circle distance
278°
Course out of RDU
255°
Course into LAX
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?

Los Angeles → Raleigh–DurhamRight 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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