Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Miami to St. Thomas. The right side wins overall because the departure from Miami delivers a spectacular and prolonged view of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, and the Florida Keys chain stretching into the distance — a visually rich sequence that the left side cannot match. The landing view advantage on the left is real but brief.

During takeoff from Miami International (MIA), sit on the Right side for the best views. MIA typically departs east on runway 08R/09, putting the right side over Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, and the Atlantic. You get a clear view of the barrier islands, the Port of Miami, and the turquoise shallows of the bay as the aircraft turns southeast toward the Caribbean. Notable sights include: Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach barrier island, Port of Miami cruise terminals, Virginia Key.

When landing at Cyril E King (STT), sit on the Left side for the best views. STT's runway 10/28 means arrivals typically come in from the west over the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The left side gives you the best view of St. Thomas harbor, Charlotte Amalie, and the surrounding British Virgin Islands including Tortola and Jost Van Dyke across the channel. Notable sights include: Charlotte Amalie harbor, Sir Francis Drake Channel, Tortola (BVI), Magens Bay.

The flight from Miami International (MIA) to Cyril E King (STT) takes Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

The flight tracks southeast over the Bahamas archipelago — Great Bahama Bank's vivid shallow turquoise water is unmistakable from altitude, followed by the deeper Tongue of the Ocean. Further along, the northern coast of Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic) may be visible on the horizon, with the Cordillera Central mountain range rising to over 10,000 feet. The Puerto Rico Trench area and the northeastern tip of Puerto Rico appear before the final descent into St. Thomas.