Jet WindowWindow seat by route · LAX to IAH
Los Angeles to Houston: 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 3 h in the air over 1,196 nautical miles.
| Leaving at | Winter (mid-December) | Summer (mid-June) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Right · sun on this side | Left · sun on this side |
| Noon | Right · sun on this side | Right · sun on this side |
| 5 p.m. | Right · sunset 5 minutes in | Left · sunset about 2 hours in |
| 10 p.m. | Dark the whole way | Dark the whole way |
Out of the window
What you can look for.
Right on the Pacific shore at the edge of the LA basin.
Leaving Los Angeles
Straight out over the Pacific and Santa Monica Bay; Catalina Island rides offshore on a clear day.
Arriving in Houston
Flat, wooded Gulf coastal plain of pine and subdivision; the downtown Houston skyline stands to the south.
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.
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