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San Diego → Boston

SAN–BOS · San Diego International Airport to Boston Logan 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.

SAN to BOS: 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.SANBOSLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 40 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. Salton Sea

    Either sideEarly0 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  2. Sedona red rocks

    RightEarly10 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Sedona red rocks sits roughly 10 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftEarly17 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for San Francisco Peaks, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Meteor Crater

    RightEarly18 mi off the route

    Meteor Crater is about 18 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Painted Desert

    RightQuarter in11 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Painted Desert sits roughly 11 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Canyon de Chelly

    LeftQuarter in17 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Canyon de Chelly, about 17 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Shiprock

    LeftQuarter in35 mi off the route

    Shiprock is about 35 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  8. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftQuarter in20 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits roughly 20 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftQuarter in31 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Great Sand Dunes, about 31 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Finger Lakes

    LeftNear the end27 mi off the route

    Finger Lakes is about 27 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Catskill Mountains

    RightNear the end24 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Catskill Mountains sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    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

2,582 mi
Great-circle distance
61°
Course out of SAN
91°
Course into BOS
10
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?

Boston → San DiegoEither 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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