About FlightSide

Enter your departure and arrival airports, plus your departure date and time. You can adjust the flight duration if it differs from the estimate.

FlightSide calculates how the sun moves along your route and shows which side of the plane gets more direct sunlight and which side stays in cabin shade.

Yes. Each result includes a shareable link so you can send your sun-on-your-flight analysis to friends or travel companions.

You can also copy the URL directly from your browser or bookmark it to revisit later.

FlightSide is free to use. We do not sell your data, you are not the product.

Yes. FlightSide works in any modern mobile browser.

You can search for flights, view the map, and check sun exposure directly from your phone or tablet. No app or account required.

Use the local time at your departure airport. FlightSide uses that time for all sun calculations and displays the correct arrival time in the destination airport’s timezone below the map.

FlightSide estimates flight duration using the great-circle distance between airports and typical commercial cruising speeds.

If you know the exact scheduled duration from your booking, you can enter it for more precise sun exposure results.

From your seat, looking forward.

Left means the left side of the cabin. Right means the right side of the cabin. On many aircraft, left-side windows are labeled A and right-side windows are J or K, but this can vary by aircraft type.

By default, FlightSide recommends the shadier side to reduce glare on screens and limit heat from direct sun during a flight.

Turn on "Prefer sun" if you want the brighter side instead. Some travelers prefer sunlight for photography, warmth, or watching sunrise or sunset from the air.

The percentages show how your entire flight time is distributed between sun on the left side, sun on the right side, and night.

Left + Right + Night always add up to 100%.

For example, "70% Sun on left side" means that for 70% of the total flight time, the sun is hitting the left side of the aircraft. The remaining time is either sun on the right side or nighttime.

The "Night" percentage shows how much of the flight takes place after sunset or before sunrise, when neither side receives direct sunlight.

Some routes naturally receive similar sun exposure on both sides.

This often happens on north–south flights, during midday when the sun is high, or on shorter flights where timing limits the difference. In these cases, either side of the cabin may be a reasonable choice.

If glare is a concern and the split is nearly even, an aisle seat may be more comfortable than either window.

FlightSide automatically detects when your route is in darkness.

If your entire flight takes place at night, both sides of the cabin will remain shaded and either side works equally well. If only part of your flight is in daylight, only that portion affects the recommendation.

Westbound flights "chase" the sun, which can extend daylight significantly.

A westbound evening departure can keep you in sunlight for many hours longer than the same flight eastbound. For example, a 6 pm departure from London to New York may experience sunset conditions for several hours as you travel west at a speed similar to the Earth’s rotation.

FlightSide calculates this extended sun exposure so your seat recommendation reflects the full path of the sun.

Yes. Near the equator, the sun rises and sets in a way that is closer to vertical compared with higher latitudes. This affects cabin sun exposure in characteristic ways:

• Midday east‑west flights: The sun climbs nearly straight overhead, which often leads to more balanced exposure between the left and right sides. Around the equinoxes, this can result in roughly even splits.
• East‑west flights at other times: The sun may favor one side more strongly depending on season and time of day, but overall exposure tends to be closer to balanced than on similar flights at higher latitudes.
• North‑south flights: Sun exposure is predictable, with morning flights seeing sun on the east side and afternoon flights seeing sun on the west side.

Seasonal effects are smaller near the equator than at higher latitudes, but they still influence the sun’s position and the resulting exposure patterns.

Flights near the equator, especially east-west routes around midday, often show balanced sun exposure.

At the equator, the sun rises quickly in the east, climbs nearly straight overhead, and sets straight in the west. During the overhead period, neither side of the cabin receives strong direct sunlight.

This differs from higher-latitude flights, where the sun stays lower and to one side throughout the day. For tropical midday flights with nearly even splits, an aisle seat may be just as comfortable as either window.

No. FlightSide calculates which side of the aircraft faces the sun, not individual rows.

Whether you sit near the wing or toward the front or back does not significantly change which side receives direct sunlight during a flight.

You can choose an aisle seat on the recommended side of the aircraft.

Window seats give you more control over the window shade. If avoiding glare or heat from direct sunlight during a flight is important, a window seat on the shaded side offers the most control.

However, if sun exposure is nearly evenly distributed between both sides, an aisle seat may be the more comfortable choice overall.

FlightSide does not assign or sell seats. It tells you which side of the plane is more likely to be sunny or in cabin shade.

You can then choose a specific seat number directly with your airline based on the recommended side.

Modern aircraft windows often have light tinting, but this does not change which side of the cabin faces the sun.

Tinting may reduce brightness slightly, but if your side is in direct sunlight, you will still notice more glare and heat compared to the shaded side.

Yes. FlightSide determines sun exposure based on the aircraft’s direction of travel, not the specific aircraft model.

As long as the plane is flying from your departure airport to your destination, the left and right sides will be calculated correctly.

FlightSide uses a great-circle route between airports, which is the standard shortest path used in aviation planning.

In reality, flights may deviate slightly due to weather, air traffic control, or winds. These differences are usually small and usually do not change which side of the plane faces the sun.

If your departure time changes, simply recalculate the flight to get updated results. You can bookmark or share your results link to revisit or compare different departure times.

If your trip includes multiple flight segments, calculate each segment separately.

Sun exposure depends on direction and timing, so each leg of your journey may have a different recommended side.

Yes. Some long-haul flights travel near or over polar regions, especially between North America, Europe, and Asia.

FlightSide calculates sun position based on latitude, longitude, date, and time, so it works at high latitudes as well. Seasonal effects, including very long daylight hours, are automatically factored into the results.

Yes. Transatlantic flights are typically shorter (6–8 hours) and follow relatively direct east-west paths at northern latitudes. The sun stays lower on the horizon, creating clear differences between the left and right sides of the cabin.

Transpacific flights are longer (10–14 hours) and often arc far north over Alaska or the Arctic to follow the great-circle route. This northern routing can make the sun’s position less intuitive. For example, a flight from Seattle to Tokyo might show the sun mostly on the right side even though you are flying "west."

FlightSide automatically accounts for these curved routes when calculating sun exposure along your flight.

FlightSide assumes clear skies when calculating sun exposure.

Clouds can reduce brightness and glare, but they do not change which side of the aircraft faces the sun. The recommendation is based on geometry, not weather conditions.

Yes, as long as both airports appear in the search list.

FlightSide calculates sun position based on route direction and time, not airline or aircraft type. However, the airport database primarily includes airports with scheduled commercial service. Private or charter-only airfields may not appear.

Airports: airport names, coordinates, and timezones come from OurAirports, a public-domain, community-maintained dataset that includes thousands of airports worldwide. FlightSide does not connect to airline systems or booking platforms.

Sun and route calculations: the sun’s position is calculated directly in your browser using standard astronomical formulas. The route is modeled as the great-circle path between the two airports you select.

There is no real-time flight tracking and no third-party flight data involved.

Maps: the map is powered by Leaflet with open tile layers.

Airport names, locations, and timezones come from a public-domain dataset that is regularly updated.

The database currently in use was last updated on Mar 23, 2026. You can also check the latest update date at the bottom of the page.

FlightSide includes airports with scheduled commercial service worldwide.

Some private, military, or charter-only airports may not be listed in the current database.

If you think an airport should be included or something looks incorrect, please contact us and we’ll review it.

No. FlightSide does not store your flight searches.

All calculations are performed in your browser.

No. There is no account system and no login required.

You can calculate sun exposure for any flight instantly.

No.

FlightSide does not use invasive tracking, does not sell user data, and does not build user profiles.

FlightSide models your route as a great-circle path between the two airports, which is the shortest path on the globe. It then samples many points along that path and assigns a time to each point based on your departure time and flight duration.

At each point, FlightSide:

1. Calculates the aircraft’s heading.
2. Computes the sun’s position (azimuth and altitude) at that location and time using standard astronomical formulas.
3. Compares the sun’s direction to the aircraft’s heading to determine whether the sun is on the left side, right side, or below the horizon.

The final percentages represent how much of the total flight time falls into each category: sun on the left, sun on the right, or night.

All calculations are performed in your browser.

The sun’s position is calculated using well-established astronomical formulas, so the solar geometry itself is very accurate.

FlightSide assumes a perfect great-circle route and clear skies. In reality:

• Flights may deviate slightly due to weather or air traffic control.
• Clouds are not modeled.
• During turns, the aircraft heading can differ from the ideal path.

Because of this, the sun calculations are precise, but real-world sunlight exposure can vary slightly depending on routing and conditions.

For most typical commercial flights, the recommendation is directionally very reliable.

Sunrise and sunset times apply to a single location.

Your flight moves across many locations and time zones. The sun’s position relative to the aircraft depends on latitude, longitude, direction of travel, and exact time.

A sunset time at your departure airport does not tell you whether the sun will be on the left or right side halfway through the flight.

FlightSide evaluates the sun’s position at many points along your route and compares it to the aircraft’s heading. That is how it determines cabin shade and direct sunlight during the entire flight, not just at one city.

Yes, season affects the sun’s angle and daylight duration, especially at higher latitudes.

FlightSide calculates the sun’s exact position based on date, time, latitude, and longitude. Seasonal changes are automatically factored into the results.

You do not need to adjust anything manually.

For determining whether the sun is on the left, right, or below the horizon, altitude has only a minor effect compared to direction and time.

FlightSide focuses on route geometry and solar position. While cruising altitude can slightly change how sunlight appears, it does not meaningfully affect which side of the aircraft receives direct sun during a flight.