Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Helsinki to Chicago. Left side wins both ends of the flight. The Helsinki departure gives you the city and archipelago, and the Chicago approach delivers the lakefront and skyline. Over the Atlantic and Canadian Shield the views are broadly similar on both sides, so the bookend city views make left the clear choice for the full journey.

During takeoff from Helsinki Malmi (HEM), sit on the Left side for the best views. Malmi typically departs on runway 18 (southbound) or 09 (eastbound). On a westbound transatlantic routing, aircraft often climb out heading southwest, putting Helsinki city center and the archipelago on the left side. You get a clear view of the Helsinki peninsula, the harbor, and the inner archipelago islands spreading out to the southwest. Notable sights include: Helsinki city center peninsula and Senate Square area, Helsinki South Harbour and ferry terminals, Inner archipelago islands (Lauttasaari, Suomenlinna sea fortress), Gulf of Finland coastline.

When landing at Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. O'Hare arrivals from the northeast typically use runways oriented east-west (9L/27R or 10/28 complex). Approaching from the northeast over Lake Michigan, the left side gives you the Chicago lakefront, Grant Park, and the downtown skyline as you descend over the lake before turning inland. This is one of the most dramatic urban approaches in North America. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock Center visible from distance), Lake Michigan shoreline and lakefront parks, Wrigleyville and North Side neighborhoods, O'Hare airport layout on final.

The flight from Helsinki Malmi (HEM) to Chicago Ohare International (ORD) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The route tracks northwest over the Gulf of Bothnia and northern Scandinavia, then crosses the Norwegian Sea and southern Greenland ice sheet (visible as a vast white plateau), then over the Labrador Sea and the largely forested Canadian Shield of Quebec and Ontario, before descending over Lake Michigan into Chicago. The Greenland ice cap crossing around the midpoint is the most visually dramatic feature of the cruise phase.