Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Detroit to Atlanta. While the left seat offers a good Detroit River view on departure, the right seat delivers the more dramatic payoff: a clear view of the Atlanta skyline on descent, which is the visual highlight of this route. The right seat also tracks the western side of the flight path over Kentucky and Tennessee, where the Cumberland Plateau terrain is more visually interesting than the flatter eastern side.

During takeoff from Detroit City (DET), sit on the Left side for the best views. Detroit City Airport's primary departure heading is roughly southward. A left (east-facing) seat gives you a clear view over the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair as you climb out, with the downtown Detroit skyline visible to your left before the aircraft turns south. The dense urban grid of Detroit and its waterfront are well-defined from altitude. Notable sights include: Detroit River and Windsor, Ontario across the water; Lake St. Clair to the northeast; Downtown Detroit skyline including the Renaissance Center; the dense suburban grid of southeastern Michigan.

When landing at The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL), sit on the Right side for the best views. Hartsfield-Jackson's primary arrival runways run roughly northwest to southeast. On a southbound approach from Detroit, aircraft typically arrive from the north and line up on runways oriented northeast-southwest. A right (west-facing) seat gives you the best view of downtown Atlanta's skyline as you descend, with Midtown and Downtown clearly visible to the west of the approach path. The left side faces largely suburban sprawl to the east. Notable sights include: Downtown Atlanta skyline including Peachtree Center towers; Midtown Atlanta skyscrapers; Stone Mountain visible to the east (left side, so right-seat passengers miss it but get the city); the broad suburban sprawl of the Atlanta metro.

The flight from Detroit City (DET) to The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL) takes Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.

The flight tracks roughly south-southwest over Ohio, crossing the Ohio River near Cincinnati or Louisville, then over Kentucky's Bluegrass region and into Tennessee. The Cumberland Plateau is visible as a broad elevated tableland with distinct escarpments. The Tennessee River valley system cuts through the terrain. Northern Georgia's Ridge and Valley province — parallel forested ridges running northeast to southwest — is visible on descent before the terrain flattens into the Atlanta Piedmont.