Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Mexico City to New York. The right side delivers the dramatic volcanic departure view over Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which is genuinely one of the most spectacular climb-outs in North American aviation. The landing views from the left are good but more familiar. The volcanic departure is the highlight of this route.

During takeoff from Licenciado Benito Juarez International (MEX), sit on the Right side for the best views. MEX typically departs on runway 05R heading northeast, which puts the right side facing southeast toward the Sierra Nevada volcanic chain. You get a direct broadside view of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl as the aircraft climbs out over the Valley of Mexico. Notable sights include: Popocatépetl (active volcano, 17,802 ft), Iztaccíhuatl (dormant volcano, 17,159 ft), Lake Texcoco remnants and salt flats east of the city, urban grid of Mexico City spreading across the basin.

When landing at John F Kennedy International (JFK), sit on the Left side for the best views. JFK primarily uses runways 31L/31R for arrivals from the south, meaning the aircraft approaches from the south-southwest over Jamaica Bay. The left side faces east toward the Atlantic and the Rockaway Peninsula, while the right faces inland. However, on the more common 22L/22R approach heading southwest, the left side gets the Manhattan skyline and Upper Bay. On the dominant 13L approach, left side sees Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways. Overall the left side captures the most iconic New York geography on approach. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline visible to the northwest, Jamaica Bay and its wildlife refuge directly below on final approach, Rockaway Peninsula barrier beach, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge spanning the harbor entrance.

The flight from Licenciado Benito Juarez International (MEX) to John F Kennedy International (JFK) takes Approximately 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.

The route tracks northeast over the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain of Veracruz, then crosses the Gulf of Mexico itself for a long overwater segment, making landfall near the Louisiana or Mississippi coast. The flight then crosses the Mississippi Delta and river system, continues over the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland, and descends over the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain and New Jersey before crossing the Hudson River approach to JFK.