Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Boston to Philipsburg. While the right side wins at Boston departure, the left side delivers the more dramatic and memorable experience overall — the Simpson Bay Lagoon and Maho Beach approach at Princess Juliana is one of the most visually spectacular landings in commercial aviation. During the cruise, the left side also tracks closer to the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands chain as you near the destination.

During takeoff from General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS), sit on the Right side for the best views. Logan typically departs south or east over the harbor on runways 22L/R or 33L/R. A right-side seat gives you Boston Harbor, the downtown skyline, and the Charles River basin as you climb out. The city grid and waterfront are clearly laid out below before you bank southeast. Notable sights include: Boston Harbor islands, downtown Boston skyline, Charles River and Cambridge, Cape Cod peninsula on the horizon.

When landing at Princess Juliana International (SXM), sit on the Left side for the best views. Princess Juliana's runway 10 approach comes in from the east over the Caribbean, passing directly over Maho Beach on final. A left-side seat gives you Sint Maarten's Simpson Bay Lagoon, the Dutch and French sides of the island, and the dramatic low-altitude pass over the beach crowd. Right side faces open water on approach. Notable sights include: Simpson Bay Lagoon, Maho Beach, Philipsburg and Great Bay, Saint-Martin French side hills.

The flight from General Edward Lawrence Logan International (BOS) to Princess Juliana International (SXM) takes Approximately 4 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 45 minutes.

The flight tracks southeast over the open Atlantic, passing east of Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, then over the Bahamas archipelago visible as scattered low sandy cays in turquoise shallows, followed by the deep blue of the open Caribbean. Puerto Rico appears to the right (west) as a substantial mountainous island roughly an hour before landing, with the El Yunque rainforest highlands visible. The British and US Virgin Islands — St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola — appear as a cluster of hilly green islands in the final 30 minutes, giving way to Sint Maarten on the horizon.