Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Salt Lake City. While the left side wins at takeoff with the Manhattan skyline view, the right side delivers the more sustained and dramatic scenery across the full flight — including the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, the Ohio River valley, and most importantly the spectacular Wasatch Front descent into Salt Lake City. The Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Range approach on the right is one of the most visually striking arrivals in the continental US.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK primarily departs westbound on runway 31L/31R or eastbound on 22L/22R. On the dominant westbound departures (runway 31), aircraft bank left and south over Jamaica Bay before turning west, giving left-side passengers a clear view of Lower Manhattan's skyline, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and New York Harbor. Right-side passengers face the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island suburbs. Notable sights include: Lower Manhattan skyline, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge.

When landing at Salt Lake City International (SLC), sit on the Right side for the best views. SLC typically lands on runways 16L/16R heading south, or 34L/34R heading north. On the common southbound approach (runway 16), aircraft approach from the north over the Great Salt Lake, and right-side passengers get a sustained view of the Wasatch Front — the dramatic east wall of mountains including the peaks above Salt Lake City — while left-side passengers look west over the flat salt flats and open desert. On northbound approaches (runway 34), the right side still captures the Wasatch Range as the aircraft descends along the mountain front. Notable sights include: Great Salt Lake, Wasatch Front (Mount Olympus, Twin Peaks), Salt Lake Valley urban grid, Oquirrh Mountains.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Salt Lake City International (SLC) takes Approximately 5 hours 15 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly along the 40th parallel westbound. Over Pennsylvania and Ohio, the Appalachian ridges are visible as parallel forested folds. The flat agricultural checkerboard of Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa dominates the mid-flight. Crossing Nebraska and Wyoming, the terrain rises gradually toward the Rockies. The Laramie Range and Medicine Bow Mountains appear in southern Wyoming before the dramatic descent toward the Wasatch Front and Great Salt Lake.