Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Athens. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. At departure you get Manhattan and the harbor; at arrival you get Athens city center and the Acropolis. Over the Atlantic and Mediterranean the views are largely symmetric, but the left side also offers slightly better angles over southern England, the English Channel, and the French and Italian coastlines depending on the exact routing.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK's primary departure runways 31L/31R send aircraft northwest over Jamaica Bay and then across Brooklyn and Manhattan. The left side gives you the full sweep of Lower Manhattan's skyline, the Hudson River, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as the aircraft climbs and turns northeast. Right side faces south over the Atlantic with little to see. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Jamaica Bay, Hudson River.

When landing at Athinai (HEW), sit on the Left side for the best views. Athens International Eleftherios Venizelos uses runways oriented roughly 03L/03R and 21L/21R. Arrivals from the west typically come in on runway 03, approaching from the south over the Saronic Gulf. The left side faces east toward Athens city center, the Acropolis hill, and Mount Hymettus, while the right side looks out over open water and the industrial port of Piraeus at a less favorable angle. Notable sights include: Acropolis of Athens, Mount Hymettus, Saronic Gulf, Athens urban grid.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Athinai (HEW) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The route typically tracks northeast over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, then crosses the North Atlantic on a great circle arc passing south of Iceland and over the British Isles — often crossing southern England or Wales. It then continues over France, the Alps (visible as a broad white mountain mass), northern Italy, and down the Adriatic or over the Balkans before descending into Greece. The Alps are the most dramatic midpoint feature, appearing as a wide band of snow-covered peaks roughly 5 to 6 hours into the flight.