Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Atlanta to New Orleans. While the right side wins at takeoff for Atlanta's skyline, the left side delivers the more dramatic and sustained views: Lake Pontchartrain's vast open water on descent is genuinely spectacular, and during the cruise portion the left side tracks closer to the Mississippi River corridor and the Gulf coastal plain. The New Orleans approach from the left is one of the more visually distinctive arrivals in the Southeast.

During takeoff from The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL), sit on the Right side for the best views. ATL's primary departure runways (8L/8R or 10) send aircraft eastward before turning southwest toward New Orleans. A right-side seat captures downtown Atlanta's skyline and the Hartsfield terminal complex as you bank south. The Chattahoochee River corridor is also visible to the right during the turn. Notable sights include: Downtown Atlanta skyline, Hartsfield-Jackson terminal complex, Chattahoochee River, Stone Mountain (distant, to the east).

When landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), sit on the Left side for the best views. MSY typically uses runways 20 or 19 for arrivals from the northeast, meaning the approach comes in from the north over the Lake Pontchartrain causeway corridor. A left-side seat gives you Lake Pontchartrain's enormous open water expanse, the New Orleans lakefront, and the city's distinctive crescent bend in the Mississippi River as you descend. Notable sights include: Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Mississippi River crescent bend, New Orleans CBD and French Quarter.

The flight from The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) takes Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.

The flight crosses central Alabama, passing near Montgomery and then into the Mississippi pine belt. The Alabama River and its tributaries are visible as silver threads through dense forest. Near the Mississippi state line, the terrain flattens dramatically into the Gulf Coastal Plain. The Pearl River marks the Louisiana-Mississippi border below. On descent, the vast shallow wetlands and bayous of southeastern Louisiana appear as a patchwork of open water, marsh grass, and narrow tree lines — one of the most distinctive landscapes visible from the air in the continental US.