Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Dallas-fort Worth to Shanghai. While the right side wins at takeoff for Dallas views, the left side delivers the more dramatic and sustained payoff: over Alaska and the North Pacific you get better views of the Aleutian island chain and Kamchatka coastline, and the Shanghai arrival on the left is genuinely spectacular with the Huangpu River and Pudong skyline. The landing view tips the balance.

During takeoff from Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), sit on the Right side for the best views. DFW departures heading northwest or north on runways 17L/17R or 18L/18R put the Dallas-Fort Worth metro sprawl and downtown Dallas skyline on the right side. You get a clear view of the city grid, the Trinity River corridor, and the dense urban core before climbing out over the plains. Notable sights include: Downtown Dallas skyline, Trinity River floodplain, Fort Worth urban core to the west, Lake Grapevine.

When landing at Hongqiao International (SHA), sit on the Left side for the best views. Hongqiao approaches typically come in from the east or southeast over the city. A left window seat gives you the best view of central Shanghai, the Huangpu River bends, and Pudong's skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower as you descend over the urban core. Notable sights include: Huangpu River S-bend through central Shanghai, Pudong skyline (Shanghai Tower, Oriental Pearl Tower), Suzhou Creek confluence, dense Puxi urban grid.

The flight from Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) to Hongqiao International (SHA) takes Approximately 14-15 hours nonstop.

The great circle route arcs north over the central US plains, crosses into Canada over Montana or Saskatchewan, then tracks northwest over the Yukon and southern Alaska. You pass near or over the Alaska Range and the Gulf of Alaska coastline. The route then crosses the North Pacific, passing south of the Aleutian Islands chain and over the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Descent is over northeastern China, crossing the Yellow Sea before reaching the Yangtze River Delta and Shanghai.