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Seattle → Fairbanks

SEA–FAI · Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Fairbanks International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

the Alaska Range leads it, with 5 more on the same side.

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 FAI: 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.SEAFAILEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 82 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. Puget Sound

    Either sideEarly8 mi off the route

    Puget Sound sits close enough to SEA that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Olympic Mountains

    LeftEarly48 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Olympic Mountains sits roughly 48 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Baker

    RightEarly65 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount Baker, about 65 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. San Juan Islands

    Either sideEarly8 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  5. the Coast Mountains

    RightQuarter in22 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, the Coast Mountains sits roughly 22 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Misty Fjords

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Glacier Bay

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Glacier Bay is about 32 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Fairweather

    LeftThree quarters60 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Fairweather sits roughly 60 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Saint Elias

    LeftThree quarters82 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Saint Elias, about 82 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mount Logan

    LeftThree quarters56 mi off the route

    Mount Logan is about 56 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  11. the Alaska Range

    LeftNear the end41 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, the Alaska Range sits roughly 41 miles to the left.

    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

1,530 mi
Great-circle distance
331°
Course out of SEA
309°
Course into FAI
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?

Fairbanks → SeattleRight 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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