When you book a flight, how can you figure out which side of the aircraft the sun will be on? I was just asked this yesterday, and it was easy to answer, as there’s a website for it. I figured it was worth a quick post, and let’s also talk about why this could matter.
SunFlight: see where the sun will be on your flight
SunFlight is a website that will show you the path of the sun for any flight. You can use this for whatever purpose you want, though the most common use is to help people plan where they might want to sit on a flight, based on the location of the sun. SunFlight also tells you when the sunrise and sunset will be on your flight, which can help with planning rest.
So, how do you use SunFlight? It’s super easy. You just enter your origin and destination airport, the date and time of travel, and the length of the flight. As an example, I entered the schedule for Etihad’s flight EY2, from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH).
You can then click “Show Flight Map,” and it will — you guessed it — show you a flight map! It’s important to emphasize that this is just an estimation, since it goes based on the direct distance between two airports, and some flights might not necessarily travel that directly (especially on ultra long haul flights). That also says nothing of the potential for delays, and departure time not actually being when an aircraft takes off.
Still, I find this to be useful for getting a general sense of where the sun will be on a flight.
Even beyond the map, SunFlight states for what percent of time the sun will be on each side.
Why should you care about where the sun is?
Some people might be wondering why they’d even care where the sun is on a particular flight. That’s a valid question. The way I view it, there are a couple of most practical uses.
For one, it helps to know if and when it’s going to be light or dark on a flight, since it often impacts light in the cabin, when people may choose to sleep, etc. After all, people take very different approaches when it comes to window shade etiquette.
But arguably the bigger use is planning on where you want to sit based on where the sun will be located. Interestingly enough, people disagree as to whether they want to sit on the same side of the plane as the sun or on the opposite side.
It’s more common for people to prefer to sit on the opposite side of the plane of the sun. There’s not as much glare if you choose to keep the window shade open, and on top of that, the heat from the sun can often be felt if you’re on the same side as the sun, even if your window shade is down (and especially on Boeing 787s, which have the dimming window shades).
Others prefer sitting on the same side of the plane as the sun. Maybe you’re traveling in the morning or evening, and want a great view of the sunrise or sunset. In those situations, it helps to be on the same side of the plane as the sun. Some may also like being on the same side of the plane as the sun so that they can control the window shade, rather than potentially having the sun in their eyes from the opposite side of the cabin.
Bottom line
SunFlight is a handy website that will show you on what side of the aircraft the sun will be, based on the time and day you depart, and the route you’re flying. I find this to be handy, though the way I use it depends on the type of flight. Sometimes I like to enjoy a sunrise or sunset view, while other times I like to be on the opposite side of the plane.
Do any OMAAT readers decide where to sit on a plane based on the location of the sun?
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