Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Chicago to Las Vegas. The right side delivers the Chicago skyline and lakefront on departure and the Las Vegas Strip plus Spring Mountains on approach. The left side offers less distinctive views at both ends — southern Chicago suburbs on takeoff and open desert on landing.

During takeoff from Chicago Midway International (MDW), sit on the Right side for the best views. Midway typically departs southwest on runway 31C/31R, meaning the right side faces northwest toward downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan. You get a clear view of the Chicago skyline, Grant Park, and the lakefront as the aircraft climbs and banks westward. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock), Lake Michigan shoreline, Grant Park and Museum Campus, Chicago River grid.

When landing at Mc Carran International (LAS), sit on the Right side for the best views. Las Vegas typically lands from the northeast on runway 26L/26R heading southwest, placing the right side facing northwest toward the Spring Mountains and Mount Charleston. You also get a direct view of the Las Vegas Strip as the aircraft descends over the valley. Notable sights include: Las Vegas Strip (concentrated resort towers), Spring Mountains and Mount Charleston (11,918 ft) to the northwest, Mojave Desert valley floor, Red Rock Canyon escarpment.

The flight from Chicago Midway International (MDW) to Mc Carran International (LAS) takes Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes.

The flight tracks southwest over Illinois farmland, then crosses the Mississippi River near St. Louis, continues over the Ozark Plateau in Missouri, crosses into Kansas or Oklahoma depending on routing, then traverses the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico high desert before entering Arizona and Nevada. The Colorado River crossing near the Arizona-Nevada border and the transition from green plains to brown Mojave Desert is the most visually dramatic mid-flight shift, typically visible around 90 minutes before landing.