Jet WindowWindow seat by route · LHR to JFK
London to New York JFK: which side of the plane?
Sun on the left.
The sun is on the left on 4 of the 5 daylight departures we modeled. Sit left for the light and any sunset; sit right to keep the glare off and the ground easier to photograph.
The sun, by departure time
Where the light will be.
Departure times are local to London. About 7 h 30 min in the air over 2,991 nautical miles.
| Leaving at | Winter (mid-December) | Summer (mid-June) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Left · sunrise about 2.5 hours in | Left · sun on this side |
| Noon | Left · sun on this side | Left · sun on this side |
| 5 p.m. | Dark the whole way | Right · sun on this side |
| 10 p.m. | Dark the whole way | Dark the whole way |
On a dark crossing, the right 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 New York
Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway barrier beaches, then the Manhattan skyline strung across the horizon before the turn onto final.
Best from the left, because on the Canarsie visual to Runway 13L/R the field is southeast of the city, so Manhattan stays off the left.
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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