Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Istanbul to Seoul. Left side wins both ends of the flight. During the cruise over Central Asia and China the left side also faces generally south, giving views toward the Tian Shan range and the Korean peninsula on descent, making it the stronger choice throughout.

During takeoff from Ataturk (IST), sit on the Left side for the best views. Istanbul Ataturk typically departs eastbound on runway 06, meaning the left (north) side gets the Bosphorus Strait, the Golden Horn, and the historic peninsula with Sultanahmet. The right side faces south toward the Sea of Marmara suburbs with less visual interest during initial climb. Notable sights include: Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn inlet, Sultanahmet historic peninsula, Bosphorus Bridge (15 July Martyrs Bridge).

When landing at Incheon International (ICN), sit on the Left side for the best views. Incheon typically lands westbound on runway 15L/33R or uses approaches from the east, with the final approach often coming in from the east over the Yellow Sea. On a standard westbound approach to Incheon, the left side faces south toward the Han River estuary and the southern islands of the Incheon archipelago, while the right side looks north over less distinctive tidal flats. Notable sights include: Han River estuary, Incheon archipelago islands, Yellow Sea tidal flats, Yeongjongjdo Island (airport island).

The flight from Ataturk (IST) to Incheon International (ICN) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The route tracks northeast over the Black Sea, then across Georgia and the Caspian Sea, over Kazakhstan's steppe, the Aral Sea basin (now largely dry), across Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan near the Tian Shan mountain range, then over western China's Xinjiang region, across the Gobi Desert, over northeastern China's Manchurian plains, and finally descending across the Yellow Sea toward Incheon.