Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to San Juan. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Departure gives you Manhattan and New York Harbor; arrival gives you Old San Juan and El Morro. During the cruise over the Atlantic and Caribbean, neither side offers dramatically more, but the left side occasionally has better angles on the Puerto Rican north coast on approach.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK primarily departs eastward on runways 31L/31R or southward on 22L/22R. On the common 31L/31R departure heading (northwest), the left side faces Manhattan and the Hudson River. You get a clear view of the Manhattan skyline, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and the New York Harbor as the aircraft climbs and turns south. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay.

When landing at Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU), sit on the Left side for the best views. SJU's primary landing runway is 08, approaching from the east over the Atlantic. On this approach, the left side faces north toward Old San Juan, the historic fort El Morro on the headland, and San Juan Bay. The right side sees mostly open ocean and the Condado beach strip. Notable sights include: Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Old San Juan peninsula, San Juan Bay, Condado Lagoon.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU) takes Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes.

The flight tracks southeast over the Atlantic Ocean, passing east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, then over open ocean. Around the midpoint you may see the Bahamas archipelago to the west if routing takes you near there, though many routes stay further east. The Dominican Republic and Haiti's mountainous terrain (Cordillera Central peaks reaching over 10,000 ft) may be visible on the left horizon in the final hour before Puerto Rico comes into view.