Seeing Los Angeles from a plane
A basin of nearly unbroken city between the mountains and the Pacific. Look for the downtown tower cluster, the Hollywood Hills, and freeways running to every horizon. At night it's an endless orange grid.
31 of our routes pass it. California · rated 7 of 10
The easy pick
Los Angeles to Denver: sit on the left, on the climb, 8 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Austin to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Boston to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Chicago to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Denver to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Honolulu to Las Vegas | Right | 277 min after takeoff |
| Honolulu to Los Angeles | Left | on the way down |
| Houston to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Las Vegas to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Los Angeles to Denver | Left | on the climb, 8 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to New York | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 8 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Chicago | Left | on the climb, 8 min after takeoff |
| Miami to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Minneapolis to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| New York to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Newark to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Phoenix to Orange County | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Phoenix to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
| Portland to Los Angeles | Left | on the way down |
| Sacramento to San Diego | Right | 46 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Los Angeles | Left | on the way down |
| Salt Lake City to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Diego to San Jose | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 15 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Seattle | Right | 16 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to San Francisco | Right | 16 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Sacramento | Right | 16 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to San Diego | Left | 42 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Los Angeles | Left | on the way down |
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Left | on the way down |
| Washington to Los Angeles | Right | on the way down |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Los Angeles from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (22 of 31). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Los Angeles from a plane?
Near the airport, on the climb or on the way down, and mid-flight on longer routes: see the table for each route.
Can you see Los Angeles at night?
Yes, by its lights. The app scores lit places at night by how bright they are.
Do clouds matter?
Yes. These answers assume a clear day. Within 3 days of your flight, pick your exact flight in the app for the cloud forecast.
More
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