London to San Diego flight path: LHR to SAN

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from London to San Diego. The long cruise phase is where this flight earns its scenery, and the great-circle track bulges north over southern Greenland's glaciated coast and Labrador before curving south along the eastern front of the Canadian Rockies and later the Sierra Nevada — all of which sit on the north-facing right side. The left side's takeoff and landing highlights are nice, but they're brief compared to hours of glacier and mountain views on the right.

During takeoff from Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Westerly departures from Heathrow climb out over Windsor before the typical southwest track toward the Bristol Channel and southern Ireland, putting Windsor Castle, the Thames Valley, and eventually the Welsh coast on the south-facing left side. The right side over the Chilterns and Midlands is comparatively unremarkable. Notable sights include: Windsor Castle and Great Park, the River Thames, Berkshire farmland, South Wales coastline near the Bristol Channel.

When landing at San Diego International Lindbergh Fld (SAN), sit on the Left side for the best views. On the classic Runway 27 visual approach into San Diego, the aircraft banks over downtown before landing right along San Diego Bay, and the south-facing left side gets the clearest view of the bay, the Coronado Bridge, and Point Loma. The right side mainly shows Balboa Park and inland canyons, which are pleasant but less dramatic. Notable sights include: San Diego Bay, Coronado Bridge and Coronado Island, Point Loma peninsula, downtown San Diego skyline.

The flight from Heathrow (LHR) to San Diego International Lindbergh Fld (SAN) takes 11h 15m.

The route's midpoint falls over the Labrador Sea and Hudson Bay approaches, with southern Greenland's ice-fringed coastline and the lake-studded Canadian Shield of northern Manitoba visible in the preceding and following hours of cruise.