Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Charlotte to Calgary. Left side wins both ends of the flight. During the cruise over the northern Great Plains, left side also gives you better angles on the Missouri River drainage and the first appearance of the Canadian Rockies on the horizon as you cross into Alberta — the mountains build from a faint line to a full wall over about 45 minutes of flying.

During takeoff from Charlotte Douglas International (CLT), sit on the Left side for the best views. Charlotte Douglas primarily departs on runways 18C/18L/18R (southbound) or 36C/36L/36R (northbound). On a northwestbound flight to Calgary, aircraft typically depart north or use runway 36 headings then turn northwest. Left side gives you the Charlotte city skyline and uptown district as you climb out, plus the first views of the Piedmont rolling toward the Appalachians. Notable sights include: Uptown Charlotte skyline, Lake Norman to the northwest, Catawba River corridor, first ridgelines of the Blue Ridge foothills.

When landing at Calgary International (YYC), sit on the Left side for the best views. Calgary International typically uses runways 35L/35R for northbound arrivals or 17L/17R for southbound. Aircraft approaching from the southeast on a flight from Charlotte will generally fly over the prairies and descend from the south or east. Left side on approach gives a direct view of the Rocky Mountain Front Ranges rising dramatically to the west, with the Bow River valley and downtown Calgary visible below. Notable sights include: Rocky Mountain Front Ranges (including Mount Yamnuska and the Fairholme Range), Bow River through Calgary, downtown Calgary skyline, Nose Hill Park plateau.

The flight from Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) to Calgary International (YYC) takes Approximately 4 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 45 minutes.

The flight tracks northwest over the Appalachian ridgelines of Virginia and West Virginia, crosses the Ohio River near Cincinnati, then traverses the flat agricultural grid of Indiana and Illinois. Over Wisconsin or Minnesota the terrain flattens completely into the northern Great Plains. Crossing into Canada over Saskatchewan, the landscape is open prairie with large lakes including Last Mountain Lake visible. As you approach Alberta, the land subtly rises toward the foothills and the Rocky Mountain Front Ranges appear on the western horizon roughly 100 miles before Calgary.