Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Istanbul to San Francisco. The SFO arrival on the right side delivers one of the most iconic urban bay approaches in aviation, with the Bay Bridge and San Francisco skyline framed over open water. While the Istanbul departure on the left is spectacular, the right side also captures parts of the Black Sea coast during the early cruise phase and has a slight edge on the Greenland ice sheet views depending on exact routing. The SFO arrival clinches it.

During takeoff from Ataturk (IST), sit on the Left side for the best views. IST typically departs westward on runway 35L/17R or uses runways oriented toward the Marmara Sea. A left-side seat gives you the Bosphorus Strait, the historic peninsula of Sultanahmet with the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia visible as a dense cluster of domes and minarets, and the Golden Horn inlet. The European and Asian sides of Istanbul spread out clearly on both banks. Notable sights include: Bosphorus Strait, Sultanahmet historic peninsula (Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia dome cluster), Golden Horn inlet, Prince's Islands in the Sea of Marmara.

When landing at San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Right side for the best views. SFO approaches from the east or southeast over the Bay Area, typically landing on runways 28L/28R heading west. A right-side seat gives you the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, downtown San Francisco skyline, and the Golden Gate Bridge as you descend over the water. The left side faces south toward the Peninsula suburbs with less dramatic scenery. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, San Francisco downtown skyline, Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge.

The flight from Ataturk (IST) to San Francisco International (SFO) takes Approximately 13 to 14 hours nonstop, or 15 to 18 hours with a connection.

The great circle route from IST to SFO tracks northeast over the Black Sea, across southern Ukraine and Russia, then over Siberia and the Bering Sea region, crossing into Alaska near the Aleutian Islands, then down the Pacific coast. Key features include the Caucasus Mountains visible early on, the vast Siberian taiga and river deltas of the Ob and Yenisei, the Kamchatka Peninsula volcanoes, the Aleutian Island chain as scattered dark volcanic islands in the North Pacific, and the Cascade Range volcanoes including Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen on descent into California.