Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Toronto. Left side wins both ends of the flight. At takeoff you get the full New York City panorama, and on approach you get the Toronto skyline and Lake Ontario. The mid-flight portion over upstate New York and southern Ontario is relatively flat farmland either way, so the departure and arrival views are the deciding factor.

During takeoff from John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK typically departs eastward on runways 22L/22R or northward on 31L/31R. On a northwest-bound departure to Toronto, a left turn after takeoff puts Manhattan and the Hudson River on your left side. You get a clear view of Lower Manhattan, the East River crossings, and the full sweep of New York Harbor. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, New York Harbor, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, East River bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg).

When landing at Lester B Pearson International (YYZ), sit on the Left side for the best views. YYZ typically lands from the east on runways 05/06 or from the south on runway 23/24. On approach from the east, the left side faces south toward Lake Ontario, giving a clear view of the Toronto waterfront, downtown skyline including the CN Tower, and the broad expanse of the lake. The right side faces north toward suburban sprawl with little of interest. Notable sights include: CN Tower and Toronto downtown skyline, Lake Ontario, Toronto Islands, Humber Bay.

The flight from John F Kennedy International (JFK) to Lester B Pearson International (YYZ) takes Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

The flight tracks northwest over the New Jersey/New York state border, crosses the Catskill Mountains (visible as rolling forested hills to the south), passes over the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York where several long narrow lakes are visible below, crosses the international border near Niagara Falls (occasionally visible to the left on clear days), then descends over the flat agricultural plain of southern Ontario toward Toronto