Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Catania. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. The Manhattan departure view is one of the great urban aerial spectacles, and the Mount Etna arrival is genuinely dramatic. Over the mid-Atlantic and Mediterranean the views are broadly similar on both sides, so the bookend moments make left the clear choice.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK's primary departure runways (22L/22R) head southwest, then aircraft turn northeast over the Atlantic. A left seat gives you the Manhattan skyline, Upper New York Bay, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as you climb out over Jamaica Bay. The right side faces the open Atlantic with little of interest. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Upper New York Bay, Jamaica Bay wetlands.

When landing at Catania Fontanarossa (CTA), sit on the Left side for the best views. Catania Fontanarossa typically uses runway 08 for arrivals from the west, meaning the approach comes in from the west heading east. A left seat faces north, giving a direct view of Mount Etna's massive volcanic cone dominating the landscape above the city. The right side looks south over the Ionian Sea. Notable sights include: Mount Etna volcanic cone, Catania city center, Ionian Sea coastline, Simeto River plain.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Catania Fontanarossa (CTA) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The flight tracks northeast from JFK, crosses the North Atlantic roughly over the southern tip of Greenland or Iceland depending on the jet stream routing, then descends over Ireland or the UK, crosses France and the Alps (visible as a broad white mountain spine), passes over northern Italy, and descends along the Italian peninsula toward Sicily. The Alps are the most dramatic mid-flight feature, visible from both sides as a wide arc of snow-covered peaks.