Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Mexico City to Chicago. The right side delivers the dramatic volcanic departure from Mexico City with Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which is genuinely one of the most spectacular urban departures in the world. The landing view on the left is good but the Chicago skyline is distant and the approach is over flat suburbs. The volcanic scenery at takeoff wins overall.

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 northwest toward the Sierra Nevada volcanic chain. You get a clear view of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl rising above the Valley of Mexico as the aircraft climbs out over the urban sprawl. Notable sights include: Popocatépetl (active volcano, 17,802 ft), Iztaccíhuatl (dormant volcano, 17,159 ft), the dense urban grid of Mexico City spreading across the basin, Texcoco lakebed (dry salt flat east of the city).

When landing at Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. ORD predominantly uses runways 10L/10C/10R for easterly arrivals or 27L/27R for westerly approaches. On a typical approach from the south-southwest, the left side faces south toward downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan. You get the full Chicago skyline and the lakefront as the aircraft descends over the suburbs. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock Center visible), Lake Michigan shoreline and lakefront, the dense suburban grid of the Chicago metropolitan area, O'Hare's distinctive runway complex visible just before touchdown.

The flight from Licenciado Benito Juarez International (MEX) to Chicago Ohare International (ORD) takes Approximately 4 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 45 minutes.

The route tracks north-northwest over the Mexican Plateau (Altiplano), crossing the Sierra Madre Occidental foothills, then over the Chihuahuan Desert and northern Mexico. The US border crossing occurs roughly over Texas or New Mexico depending on routing. The flight then crosses the flat agricultural plains of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri before descending over the Illinois corn and soybean flatlands toward Chicago. The Mississippi River may be visible as a wide brown ribbon crossing the plains in Missouri or Illinois.