Jet WindowWindow seat by route · JFK to LHR
New York JFK to London: which side of the plane?
Sun right by day, left in the evening.
It turns with the clock. On morning and midday departures the sun is mostly on the right; leave in the evening and it is mostly on the left. Find your departure time in the table.
The sun, by departure time
Where the light will be.
Departure times are local to New York. About 6 h 45 min in the air over 2,991 nautical miles.
| Leaving at | Winter (mid-December) | Summer (mid-June) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Right · sunset about 5.5 hours in | Right · sun on this side |
| Noon | Right · sunset about 2.5 hours in | Left · sunset about 6 hours in |
| 5 p.m. | Dark the whole way | Left · sunset about 3 hours in |
| 10 p.m. | Right · sunrise about 5.5 hours in | Left · sunrise about 3.5 hours in |
On a dark crossing, the left side faces north. If there is an aurora that night, that is where it will be. Jet Window checks the aurora forecast for your actual flight.
Out of the window
What you can look for.
Arriving in London
On the usual westerly days the approach tracks over central London: the Thames, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and the City towers pass by.
Best from the right, because westerly operations (roughly 70% of days) approach from the east, putting central London north of the final, on the right.
How this was worked out
The same engine as the app.
These answers come from the model Jet Window uses on your phone: the sun's position from the cabin's own horizon at cruise, sampled along the great-circle path, with the landmark and airport notes the app shows. This page has to assume a departure time and a flight time, and a real flight bends with winds, airways and the runway in use. Cloud is not modeled.
In the app, Jet Window works it out for your actual flight, at its real departure time, and tells you when to look.
More routes