CabinShade
Shady side by departure time and season
Each cell shows the window side that stays out of the sun for a departure at that local time on the 15th of the month. A = left side, F/K = right side, Any = little direct sun, Dark = night flight.
| Departs | Jan | Apr | Jul | Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | F/K | F/K | F/K | F/K |
| 9 am | F/K | F/K | F/K | F/K |
| noon | F/K | F/K | F/K | F/K |
| 3 pm | F/K | F/K | F/K | F/K |
| 6 pm | Dark | F/K | A | F/K |
| 9 pm | Dark | Dark | Dark | Dark |
Sunrise and sunset views
- Sunset on the left side (seat A): 3 pm departures in January; 6 pm departures in October.
- Sunset on the right side (seats F/K): 3 pm departures in April, July and October; 6 pm departures in April and July.
- Sunrise on the left side (seat A): 6 am departures in January and October.
- Sunrise on the right side (seats F/K): 6 am departures in April and July.
About the SFO–TPE route
- Distance: 10,391 km (6,457 miles) along the great circle.
- Estimated flight time: 13h 19m. Real schedules vary with winds and routing.
- Direction: leaves heading northwest, is flying west-southwest at the halfway point, and arrives heading southwest.
Window seat letters: A is the left window on almost every airline. The right window is the last letter in the row: usually F on single-aisle jets and K (sometimes J or L) on wide-bodies. How seat letters work.
Questions about this flight
Which side of the plane is shady from San Francisco to Taipei?
Flying San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE)? For most daytime flights the sun is on the left, so sit on the right (seat F/K) for shade.
Which side has the sunset or sunrise view?
Most often the sunset is on the right side (seats F/K); it depends on the departure time and season. Use the calculator with your exact date to be sure.
How is this calculated?
CabinShade follows the great-circle route in 60 steps and computes the sun's position at each step, then counts how long each side of the cabin faces the sun. More on the method.