Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Houston to Mexico City. While the left side has a decent Houston departure view, the right side wins overall for the landing into MEX. The sight of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl on approach is genuinely one of the most dramatic airport approaches in North America. During the cruise portion heading south-southwest, the right side also tracks closer to the Gulf of Mexico coastline over Veracruz state, offering occasional glimpses of the coastal plain and the Sierra Madre Oriental foothills.

During takeoff from George Bush Intcntl Houston (IAH), sit on the Left side for the best views. IAH's primary departure runways (15L/15R) head southeast, meaning a left-side seat faces east toward downtown Houston and the ship channel industrial complex. You get a clear view of the Houston skyline and the sprawling petrochemical facilities along the Buffalo Bayou corridor before the aircraft banks southwest toward Mexico. Notable sights include: Houston downtown skyline, Houston Ship Channel and refinery complex, Lake Houston to the northeast, Galveston Bay visible in the distance to the southeast.

When landing at Licenciado Benito Juarez International (MEX), sit on the Right side for the best views. MEX typically uses runways 05L/05R or 23L/23R. On approach from the north on runway 05, the aircraft tracks southwest and the right side faces northwest toward the Sierra de Guadalupe hills and the dense urban sprawl of northern Mexico City. On the more common runway 23 approach heading southwest, the right side gives a clear view of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes to the southeast — the most dramatic visual feature of any approach into MEX. Notable sights include: Popocatépetl volcano (17,802 ft), Iztaccíhuatl volcano (17,159 ft), Texcoco lakebed (former Lake Texcoco, now dry salt flats east of the airport), Mexico City urban grid spreading across the Valley of Mexico.

The flight from George Bush Intcntl Houston (IAH) to Licenciado Benito Juarez International (MEX) takes Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes.

The flight crosses the Rio Grande near Laredo or Nuevo Laredo, then tracks over the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León. The Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range becomes visible on the right side as the aircraft crosses into Mexico, rising abruptly from the coastal plain. Over San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo states, the terrain transitions from high desert plateau (the Altiplano Central) to the volcanic highlands surrounding Mexico City. The Valley of Mexico basin becomes visible on descent, ringed by volcanic peaks.