Jet Window

Window seat by route · LAX to DFW

Los Angeles to Dallas-Fort Worth: which side of the plane?

Sun side turns with season and hour.

The sun is on the left on 2 and the right on 4 of the 6 daylight departures we modeled, so the season and the hour decide it. Find yours in the table.

The sun, by departure time

Where the light will be.

Departure times are local to Los Angeles. About 2 h 45 min in the air over 1,071 nautical miles.

Which side of the aircraft the sun is on, for four departure times in mid-December and mid-June.
Leaving atWinter (mid-December)Summer (mid-June)
7 a.m.Right · sun on this sideLeft · sun on this side
NoonRight · sun on this sideRight · sun on this side
5 p.m.Right · sunset 5 minutes inLeft · sunset about 2 hours in
10 p.m.Dark the whole wayDark the whole way

Out of the window

What you can look for.

Right on the Pacific shore at the edge of the LA basin.

Along the way

  • The Grand Canyon cut into the Colorado Plateau on the left, in daylight

Leaving Los Angeles

Straight out over the Pacific and Santa Monica Bay; Catalina Island rides offshore on a clear day.

Arriving in Dallas-Fort Worth

Flat North Texas prairie between two skylines: downtown Dallas to the east, Fort Worth to the west.

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