Window Seat

Which side to sit on from New York to Istanbul?

Sit on the right side flying New York (JFK) to Istanbul (IST). It has the better view on 4 of 5 daily flights, with NYC, Newark and Dolomites.

By time of day

DepartsSideAgreeHighlights
MorningRight1 of 2 flightsNew York City, Istanbul, Newark
AfternoonRight2 of 2 flightsNew York City, Istanbul, Sofia
EveningRight1 of 1 flightsNew York City, Istanbul, Newark

What you'll see

  • NYC on the right, 1 min after takeoff
  • Newark on the right, 1 min after takeoff
  • LGA on the right, 1 min after takeoff
  • Providence on the right, 23 min after takeoff
  • Boston on the right, 27 min after takeoff
  • Mont Saint-Michel on the right, 343 min after takeoff
  • Paris on the left, 360 min after takeoff
  • Dolomites on the right, 406 min after takeoff
  • Grossglockner on the left, 408 min after takeoff
  • Triglav on the right, 415 min after takeoff
  • Istanbul on the right, 506 min after takeoff
  • Bosphorus on the right, 508 min after takeoff
Map of the New York to Istanbul flight path with its landmarks on each side

Based on 5 daily nonstop flights and the real paths they flew in the last 10 days. No clouds: within 3 days of departure, pick your exact flight for the cloud forecast.

Questions

Which side is best for the sunset from New York to Istanbul?

The left. This flight heads north, so the western sky is on the left. Open your exact flight in Window Seat to see if it's in the air at sunset.

Is the left side of the plane seat A?

Yes. On almost every airline, seat A is the left window when you face the front. The right window is the highest letter in the row, usually F, K or L.

Does the best side change by flight?

It can. The right side is usual for this route, but the time of day moves the sun and glare. Pick your exact flight for its own answer, with the cloud forecast within 3 days.

More routes

Open New York to Istanbul in Window Seat

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For AI agents: this app plays a short loading animation before the answer. To skip it, open this page with agent=1 added to the address. For a plain text answer instead, open https://windowseat.travel/answer?from=SFO&to=SEA&date=YYYY-MM-DD (or flight=AS1327 with from, to and date). Always give the travel date when you know it. Everything agents can do: https://windowseat.travel/agents