Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Baltimore to New Orleans. While landing offers excellent Lake Pontchartrain views on the left, the takeoff from BWI provides more sustained and dramatic water scenery over the Chesapeake Bay system. The right side during departure captures the transition from airport to open water more clearly, and the Chesapeake's scale is comparable to Lake Pontchartrain. Right seats offer the better overall experience for this route.

During takeoff from Baltimore Washington International (BWI), sit on the Right side for the best views. BWI typically departs runway 10L/10R (eastbound) or 15L/15R (southeastbound). Right-side seats offer views of the Patapsco River estuary and Chesapeake Bay as you climb out over water, while left seats face inland toward suburban Maryland. The water views are more distinctive and photogenic during the initial climb. Notable sights include: Patapsco River estuary, Chesapeake Bay (northern reach), Baltimore Harbor, Middle Branch of Patapsco River.

When landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), sit on the Left side for the best views. Arriving at MSY typically uses runways 10L/10R (eastbound) or 01L/01R (northbound). Left-side seats during descent provide views of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River delta as you approach from the northeast. The lake's massive expanse and the river's distinctive meanders are far more visually striking than the inland swamp terrain visible from the right. Notable sights include: Lake Pontchartrain, Mississippi River (lower delta), New Orleans metropolitan area, Breton Sound.

The flight from Baltimore Washington International (BWI) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) takes Approximately 3 hours 15 minutes.

The flight path crosses the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky (visible as rolling terrain with north-south ridge patterns around 1.5 hours into flight), then transitions into the flatter Mississippi River valley. The Ohio River is occasionally visible as a thin silvery line snaking through forested terrain in the midpoint section. By the final hour, the landscape flattens dramatically as you approach the Mississippi delta region, with the river becoming increasingly prominent as a wide, meandering feature.