Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Rome to New York. Left side wins both the departure from Rome and the arrival into JFK. Over the Atlantic the views are similar on both sides, but the left seat captures the best of both terminal cities — the Roman coastline and Tiber delta on departure, and the New York Harbor, Manhattan skyline, and Jamaica Bay on approach.

During takeoff from Fiumicino (FCO), sit on the Left side for the best views. FCO typically departs on runway 16R/34L or 16L/34R. Northbound departures heading toward the Atlantic climb out over the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, then bank left (north). A left seat gives you the Roman coastline, the mouth of the Tiber, and a clear look back at the city sprawl of Rome and the Alban Hills to the southeast. Right side faces inland scrubland with little of interest. Notable sights include: Tiber River mouth at Fiumicino, Rome city center and Vatican dome visible to the northeast, Alban Hills (Castelli Romani) volcanic ridge to the southeast, Tyrrhenian Sea coastline stretching north toward Civitavecchia.

When landing at John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK approaches typically come in from the northeast or east over the Atlantic, landing on runways 13L/R or 22L/R depending on wind. On the common easterly approach over Jamaica Bay, the left side gives you Lower Manhattan's skyline, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and Brooklyn laid out clearly. The right side faces the open Atlantic and the less interesting south shore of Long Island. Notable sights include: Lower Manhattan skyline visible to the northwest, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge spanning the harbor entrance, Jamaica Bay directly below on final approach, Brooklyn and Queens urban grid spreading to the north.

The flight from Fiumicino (FCO) to John F Kennedy International (JFK) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The flight tracks northwest from Rome across the Ligurian Sea, then over southern France or the Bay of Biscay depending on routing, before crossing the North Atlantic. Passengers may see the southern coast of Ireland or tip of Newfoundland (St. John's area) on the western descent. The mid-Atlantic portion is open ocean with occasional cloud systems and, at high latitudes, possible glimpses of Greenland's ice sheet edge on more northerly routings.