Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Helsinki to Seoul East. While takeoff offers interesting coastal views on the right, the landing approach into Seoul provides more dramatic and sustained visual interest with the Han River, urban landscape, and mountain ranges visible from the left side. The landing experience outweighs the takeoff advantage.

During takeoff from Helsinki Vantaa (HEL), sit on the Right side for the best views. Helsinki Vantaa typically departs runway 04R/22L or 03L/21R depending on wind. Right-side seats offer views of the Baltic Sea coastline and the archipelago east of Helsinki during northbound or eastbound initial climb. Left side faces inland toward forested areas with less visual interest. Notable sights include: Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea), Helsinki archipelago with scattered islands, Vantaa River valley, boreal forest extending inland.

When landing at Seoul Ab (SSN), sit on the Left side for the best views. Incheon/Seoul approaches typically use runways aligned roughly 15L/33R or 15R/33L. Left-side seats during descent into Seoul offer views of the Han River, Seoul's urban sprawl, and the surrounding mountain ranges (Bukhan Mountains to the north, Gwanak and Gwanaksan peaks to the south). Right side faces toward the Yellow Sea with less distinctive landmarks. Notable sights include: Han River (Hangang) winding through Seoul, Seoul metropolitan area urban grid, Bukhan Mountains (northern ridge), Gwanaksan peak and southern mountain ranges.

The flight from Helsinki Vantaa (HEL) to Seoul Ab (SSN) takes Approximately 8.5 to 9.5 hours.

The flight path crosses the Baltic Sea, passes over Russia (western Siberia and the Urals region at high altitude), then transitions over Kazakhstan and Mongolia. At cruise altitude (35,000+ feet), the Urals appear as a distant low mountain range on the horizon during the midpoint. The vast boreal and steppe landscapes below offer minimal distinctive landmarks—primarily endless forest giving way to grassland and sparse settlement. The flight crosses into Asian airspace over the Urals, with Mongolia's high plateau visible as relatively featureless terrain. Approaching Korea, the terrain becomes more mountainous again as the Taebaek Mountains and Korean peninsula topography become visible in the final descent phase.