Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Athens to Chicago. While the Athens departure offers coastal views, the Chicago landing provides more dramatic urban and water scenery. Left-side seats capture Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline during descent, which is more visually striking than the Athens climb-out.

During takeoff from Athinai (HEW), sit on the Right side for the best views. Right-side seats offer views of the Saronic Gulf and the Athenian coastline as the aircraft climbs northwestward out of Athens. You'll see the city sprawl fade into water and distant mountains. Notable sights include: Saronic Gulf, Mount Hymettus (southeast of Athens), Athenian urban sprawl, Aegean Sea coastline.

When landing at Chicago Midway International (MDW), sit on the Left side for the best views. Left-side seats provide excellent views during the descent into Chicago Midway. You'll see Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline, the Chicago skyline, and the grid of the city's south and southwest neighborhoods as you approach from the northeast. Notable sights include: Lake Michigan, Chicago downtown skyline, Chicago grid neighborhoods, Indiana shoreline.

The flight from Athinai (HEW) to Chicago Midway International (MDW) takes Approximately 13-14 hours (including typical routing via transatlantic corridor).

The flight path crosses the Atlantic Ocean with no significant landmarks visible for roughly 8-9 hours. Over Greenland's southern coast (if routed via the northern corridor), you may see glaciers and fjords. Over the Canadian Arctic or northern Canada, tundra and scattered lakes appear. As the aircraft approaches the North American continent near Hudson Bay or the Great Lakes region, the landscape transitions from barren terrain to forests and eventually to the Great Lakes themselves, with Lake Michigan being the final major water feature before Chicago descent.