17 / Travel
Flight Sun Side & Window Seat Calculator
Find which side of a flight is shaded, how long glare may last, and when the sun switches sides along the route.
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Scheduled route estimate only. Weather, air traffic, runway direction, clouds, aircraft turns, and window position can change the real view.
Left or right?
Follow the sun across the whole flight.
A route can change heading while the sun moves. This tool samples both instead of using a one-line east-versus-west guess.
JFK → LAX
Left side
Choose the A-side windows for the lower modeled exposure.
Route timeline
When the sun changes sides
Field note
Which side of the plane should you sit on to avoid the sun?
Enter the origin, destination, departure time shown on your ticket, and scheduled duration. The calculator converts the origin-local time through the airport’s time zone, follows the great-circle route, and checks the sun every ten flight minutes.
Reading left and right
Left and right are from a seated passenger facing the nose. The left window column is commonly labeled A. The right window may be F on a narrow-body aircraft or K on a wide-body aircraft, so confirm the letter on your airline’s seat map.
Sunrise, sunset, and glare
For shade, choose the side opposite the stronger modeled exposure. For a sunrise or sunset view, switch the goal to “See sunrise or sunset.” Low-angle light is weighted more heavily because it reaches side windows more directly.
Why the result is an estimate
Airlines do not fly a perfect great-circle line. Departure and arrival turns, wind, air-traffic control, route changes, window shades, clouds, wing position, and a delayed takeoff all affect the actual view. Recheck after a major schedule change.