Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Nairobi. The left side delivers the iconic Manhattan skyline departure, and on the long eastward routing across the Atlantic and Africa, the left side also picks up the North African coastline and the Nile Valley in Sudan and Egypt during daylight hours depending on departure time. The Nairobi arrival view is better on the right, but the JFK departure spectacle and the mid-flight geography tip the balance left overall.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK departures on runway 31L/31R head northwest, putting Manhattan's skyline on the left side as the aircraft climbs out over Jamaica Bay and turns. You get a clear view of Lower Manhattan, the East River bridges, and the full sweep of the harbor. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn waterfront.

When landing at Nairobi Wilson (WIL), sit on the Right side for the best views. Wilson Airport sits on the northern edge of Nairobi and typically receives traffic from the north or east. On approach from the northeast, the right side gives you the Nairobi city center and the Nairobi National Park's open savanna stretching south, with the Ngong Hills visible to the southwest on the horizon. Notable sights include: Nairobi city center, Nairobi National Park savanna, Ngong Hills, Athi Plains.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Nairobi Wilson (WIL) takes Approximately 15 to 17 hours depending on routing and winds, typically with a stop or connection in a hub such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi JKIA, or Amsterdam — a direct JFK to Wilson routing is not commercially operated.

North Atlantic Ocean crossing, Strait of Gibraltar and Mediterranean coastline, Libyan or Egyptian desert, the Nile River valley visible as a green ribbon through the Sahara in Sudan and Egypt, Ethiopian Highlands with deeply dissected plateau terrain, and the East African Rift Valley on descent into Kenya