Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Newark to Phoenix. While the left side wins at takeoff with the Manhattan skyline, the right side captures the better show for the majority of the flight — the Pennsylvania ridges, Ohio River valley, and crucially the dramatic Arizona desert approach with Camelback Mountain and the McDowell range on landing. The landing view tips the balance.

During takeoff from Newark Liberty International (EWR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing EWR typically uses runways 22L/22R heading southwest, or 4L/4R heading northeast. On the dominant southwest departure, the left side gives you Manhattan's skyline across Newark Bay, then the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Upper New York Bay as you climb out over New Jersey. On a northeast departure, left still captures the Hudson River and lower Manhattan. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline across Newark Bay, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Upper New York Bay, Hudson River corridor.

When landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), sit on the Right side for the best views. Phoenix Sky Harbor sits east of downtown Phoenix, and aircraft typically land on runways 26 or 25 heading west. On approach from the east, the right side faces north and gives you the McDowell Mountains, Camelback Mountain, and the Scottsdale urban grid. The left side faces south toward South Mountain Park but the right view is more dramatic with the distinctive Camelback ridge. Notable sights include: Camelback Mountain, McDowell Mountains, Scottsdale grid and urban sprawl, Salt River bed.

The flight from Newark Liberty International (EWR) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) takes Approximately 5 hours 15 minutes.

The route tracks roughly southwest across Pennsylvania's Ridge and Valley Appalachians, then over Ohio and Indiana flatlands, across the Mississippi River near St. Louis, through the Ozark Plateau in Missouri and Arkansas, over the Texas Panhandle's flat high plains, then across New Mexico's high desert and the Rio Grande valley before descending into the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. The Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque and the White Mountains of eastern Arizona are notable terrain features in the final hour.