New Orleans to Phoenix flight path: MSY to PHX

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from New Orleans to Phoenix. The right side delivers a stronger overall sequence: a dramatic mountain-flanked descent into Phoenix with Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak, plus glimpses of the Guadalupe Mountains and Franklin Mountains near El Paso during cruise, outweighing the left side's strong but shorter New Orleans departure view.

During takeoff from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing MSY to the west, the left side looks south across the Mississippi River's crescent bend, giving a clear view of downtown New Orleans, the French Quarter, and Algiers Point before the plane climbs over the coastal wetlands. The right side only offers Lake Pontchartrain and flat north-shore suburbs. Notable sights include: Mississippi River bend, downtown New Orleans skyline, French Quarter, Barataria wetlands.

When landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), sit on the Right side for the best views. On the typical west-flow approach into PHX, the aircraft descends heading west, putting Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak's distinctive red sandstone formations directly off the right side, with the McDowell Mountains visible further north. The left side only shows the flatter, less distinctive South Mountain range. Notable sights include: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, McDowell Mountains, Sonoran desert grid of Phoenix.

The flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) takes about 3 hours 15 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 1,297 miles (2,088 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

Texas Hill Country, the Pecos River valley, the Guadalupe Mountains near the Texas-New Mexico border, and the Franklin Mountains at El Paso along the Rio Grande, transitioning into the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts of southern New Mexico and Arizona