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Seattle → Charlotte

SEA–CLT · Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Rainier is the main event, and it has company: 3 more worth looking at out the right.

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.

SEA 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.SEACLTLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 52 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 Rainier

    RightEarly38 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 38 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Glacier Peak

    LeftEarly52 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Glacier Peak sits roughly 52 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Bitterroot Range

    LeftQuarter in24 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Bitterroot Range, about 24 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Devils Tower

    Either sideHalfway3 mi off the route

    Devils Tower passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  5. Black Hills

    RightHalfway30 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Black Hills sits roughly 30 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Badlands

    RightHalfway20 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Badlands, about 20 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Blue Ridge Mountains

    RightNear the end11 mi off the route

    Blue Ridge Mountains is about 11 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    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

2,275 mi
Great-circle distance
97°
Course out of SEA
125°
Course into CLT
6
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 → SeattleLeft 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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