Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Madrid to Atlanta. While the left side wins at takeoff with the Sierra de Guadarrama views, the right side offers the better overall experience. During the transatlantic crossing the right side faces south toward the Azores archipelago (occasionally visible on clear days), and on arrival into Atlanta the right side delivers the downtown skyline and Stone Mountain. The left side's advantage is limited to the first 20 minutes of flight.

During takeoff from Barajas (MAD), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing westbound on runway 32L/32R (the most common westbound departure direction), the left side faces south toward the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, which rises dramatically above the Meseta plateau. You get a clear view of the range including Peñalara peak before the aircraft turns northwest toward the Atlantic. Notable sights include: Sierra de Guadarrama range, Peñalara peak (2,428m), Madrid city grid to the southeast, Embalse de Santillana reservoir.

When landing at The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL), sit on the Right side for the best views. Atlanta's primary arrival flow from the east typically uses runways 08L/08R or 09L/09R, meaning the aircraft approaches from the east heading west. The right side faces north, giving views over downtown Atlanta's skyline, Buckhead, and Stone Mountain in the distance to the northeast. The left side faces south over suburban sprawl with fewer distinctive features. Notable sights include: Downtown Atlanta skyline, Stone Mountain (granite monadnock to the northeast), Hartsfield-Jackson airport complex, Chattahoochee River corridor.

The flight from Barajas (MAD) to The William B Hartsfield Atlanta International (ATL) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours westbound.

The flight tracks northwest from Madrid across northern Spain, crossing the Cantabrian coast near Galicia, then out over the North Atlantic. The route typically passes south of Iceland and Greenland, crossing the Canadian Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick) before entering US airspace over New England or the mid-Atlantic states. The Azores may be visible to the south in the early Atlantic portion on clear days. The Appalachian Mountains appear as a broad corrugated ridgeline during descent over the Carolinas and Georgia.