Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Madras to New York. The right side wins overall because the Chennai departure view of Marina Beach and the Bay of Bengal is genuinely spectacular and unique. The flight path arcs northwest over the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and the North Atlantic, offering right-side views of the Himalayas if routing takes the aircraft over northern India, and both sides get similar open-ocean views for the long Atlantic crossing. The Manhattan arrival view on the left is excellent but shorter in duration.

During takeoff from Chennai International (MAA), sit on the Right side for the best views. Chennai's primary departure runway 07 sends aircraft eastward over the Bay of Bengal. Right side passengers get a sweeping view back over the Chennai coastline, Marina Beach — one of the longest urban beaches in the world — and the city grid before the aircraft turns northward. Left side faces inland toward flat Tamil Nadu plains with little visual interest. Notable sights include: Marina Beach shoreline, Chennai city grid and port area, Bay of Bengal open water, Ennore industrial port to the north.

When landing at John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK's most common arrival is runway 31L/31R, approaching from the southeast over Jamaica Bay and Long Island. Left side passengers see Manhattan's skyline clearly to the northwest as the aircraft descends, along with the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Upper New York Bay. Right side faces south toward the open Atlantic and suburban Long Island with far less visual drama. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Jamaica Bay and its wildlife refuge islands, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Upper New York Bay.

The flight from Chennai International (MAA) to John F Kennedy International (JFK) takes Approximately 18-20 hours nonstop (no direct service exists currently; typical one-stop routing via European or Middle Eastern hubs adds layover time; a hypothetical nonstop great circle would be around 18-19 hours).

Great circle routing from Chennai to JFK passes northwest over the Bay of Bengal, crosses the Indian subcontinent over Andhra Pradesh and central India, continues over Pakistan and Afghanistan, transits Central Asia over Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, crosses Russia and the Arctic region near Siberia, then descends over Canada through Quebec and New England before reaching New York. Notable features include the Himalayan foothills visible to the north during the India crossing, the vast Caspian Sea, the Ural Mountains as a low ridge, and the Canadian Shield's lake-dotted boreal landscape on descent.