No headline feature this week. Time mostly went into keeping the basics solid, fixing a few things that were slightly wrong and pulling in a newer version of the airport and timezone data FlightSide relies on.
The footer shows when the airport data was last updated. Timezone rules do change, especially around daylight saving decisions, so an older file can mean an hour's drift on some routes. If the date looks recent, the sun and seat hints should line up with the map.
Two things worth knowing before you pick a seat
Departure time matters more than most people expect
On east-west routes especially, the angle between the aircraft and the sun shifts enough over a couple of hours that the recommended side can flip entirely. This happens because the sun moves roughly 15 degrees across the sky every hour. A 2pm departure on a long transatlantic route can put the sun squarely on one side for most of the flight, while a 4pm departure on the same route catches a lower sun that has moved far enough to favor the other window.
It's most noticeable on long east-west routes, but shows up on shorter hops too. If you have some flexibility on when you fly, checking a couple of departure times before settling on a seat preference is usually worth the extra minute.
A concrete case: New York to London in January. A 6pm departure takes off after dark. Sunset in New York is before 5pm that time of year, so the entire crossing is at night. Seat choice barely matters.
A 9am departure on the same route catches the sun low in the south for the first few hours. The right side faces toward it for most of the crossing. By arrival in the afternoon, the angle has shifted, but the earlier hours of the flight had a clear answer.
Same route. Nine hours apart. One is a night crossing; the other has a distinct sunny side for much of the flight.
When neither side wins
Some flights do not have much useful side-window sun at all. Around midday, especially near the equator, the sun can be too high or too far ahead or behind the aircraft to give either side a clear advantage.
Singapore to Kuala Lumpur around noon is a good example. The route is short, the sun is high, and most of the daylight does not land meaningfully on either side window. The result is not uncertainty. It is just what is happening: neither side has much to win, and an aisle seat often makes more sense than committing to either window.
Try the same route at two different departure times and see how much it shifts.