CabinShade
Which side of the plane gets the sun?
Short answer: in the Northern Hemisphere the sun sits in the southern sky for most of the day. Flying east, it's on the right, so sit on the left (seat A) for shade. Flying west, it's on the left, so sit on the right (F or K). Flying north or south, it depends on the time: the morning sun is in the east, the afternoon sun in the west. South of the equator, flip the east/west advice.
Why the sun favors one side
From anywhere north of the Tropic of Cancer (about 23.5°N), which covers the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, China and most of India, the sun always passes through the southern half of the sky. It rises in the east, climbs toward the south at midday and sets in the west. So the side of the plane facing south gets most of the direct sunlight.
Which side faces south depends on where you're heading. Picture yourself in your seat facing the front of the plane:
- Heading east, south is on your right.
- Heading west, south is on your left.
- Heading north, east is on your right and west on your left.
- Heading south, east is on your left and west on your right.
The rules of thumb (Northern Hemisphere)
| Flying | Morning | Midday | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | Sun ahead and right → sit A | Sun on the right → sit A | Sun behind, usually right → sit A |
| West | Sun behind, usually left → sit F/K | Sun on the left → sit F/K | Sun ahead and left → sit F/K |
| North | Sun on the right → sit A | Sun behind you, little glare | Sun on the left → sit F/K |
| South | Sun on the left → sit F/K | Sun ahead, glare on both sides | Sun on the right → sit A |
In the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South America, southern Africa) the sun passes through the northern sky, so the east/west rows flip: flying east, the sun is on the left, so sit on the right (F/K). Flying west, sit on the left (A). The north/south rows stay the same, because the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west.
When the rules break
Near the tropics
Between roughly 23.5°N and 23.5°S (Hawaii, Mexico City, Singapore, Bangkok, Rio), the midday sun can be north or south of you depending on the season, and it is often nearly overhead. Overhead sun hits neither window hard, so the answer comes down to the morning and afternoon sun.
Long summer evenings
In summer the sun rises in the north-east and sets in the north-west. On an evening flight heading east from, say, New York to London, the setting sun ends up behind you on the left, the opposite of the midday rule. The further north you are, the stronger this effect.
Long-haul flights and time zones
Flying east shortens your day and flying west stretches it, so a long flight can cross sunrise or sunset, or both. A route that curves (great-circle routes over the pole or the Pacific bend a lot) can also change which way you're heading halfway through. That's why a single rule of thumb often fails on flights over about 6 hours.
Real flight paths
Airlines follow jet streams, airways and air-traffic instructions, so real routes can wander from the shortest path. On most flights this shifts the heading by a few degrees and doesn't change which side is sunny.
Why it's worth choosing
- Glare and heat. Direct sun through a window heats your seat, and lowering the blind means no view for hours.
- Screens. Laptops and phones are hard to read in direct sun.
- Sleep. On an overnight flight, the side that faces the sunrise gets light first.
- Photos and views. The shady side has less window glare and reflection, while the sunny side is the one for sunset and sunrise views.
Which seat letter is which side?
Seat A is the left window on nearly every airline. The right window is the last letter in the row: F on most single-aisle jets (Boeing 737, Airbus A320) and usually K on wide-bodies. More in our guide to airplane seat letters.
Get the answer for your flight
Rules of thumb get you close. For an exact answer, enter your airports, date and departure time: CabinShade follows your route minute by minute and tells you which window stays in the shade and how long the other side is in the sun. Or browse the precomputed answers for popular routes such as LAX to JFK, JFK to London and Singapore to Melbourne.