Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Anchorage to San Francisco. The right side wins overall because the Anchorage departure delivers the most dramatic scenery of the entire flight — Cook Inlet, the Chugach Mountains directly to the right, and on clear days the Alaska Range. The mid-flight views over British Columbia and the Pacific Coast ranges also favor the right side. The SFO landing advantage on the left is real but brief.

During takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), sit on the Right side for the best views. Anchorage typically departs south on runway 33L/33R or uses runway 06/07, but the dominant southbound departure puts the right side facing west toward Cook Inlet and the Alaska Range. The right side gets Denali and the Alaska Range on the horizon plus Cook Inlet's mudflats and water directly below. Notable sights include: Cook Inlet mudflats and water, Alaska Range with Denali visible on clear days, Chugach Mountains, Knik Arm.

When landing at San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. SFO typically lands on runways 28L/28R approaching from the east over the Bay, or on 19L/19R from the north. On the standard east approach over the Bay, the left side faces south toward the San Mateo Bridge and the southern Bay, while the right faces north toward the Bay Bridge and San Francisco city. However, on the more common 28L/28R approach, the left side gets the best view of downtown San Francisco, the Golden Gate, and Marin headlands as you cross the Bay. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, downtown San Francisco skyline, San Mateo Bridge.

The flight from Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC) to San Francisco International (SFO) takes Approximately 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours.

The route tracks southeast from Anchorage over the Gulf of Alaska coastline, crossing the St. Elias Mountains and Wrangell-St. Elias ranges in southern Alaska, then over the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. The flight passes over or near Prince William Sound, the Yakutat area, and the heavily glaciated ranges of the Alaska Panhandle before crossing into northern British Columbia and eventually Washington and Oregon. The Cascades including Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta may be visible depending on routing and cloud cover.