Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from New Orleans to San Francisco. Left side delivers Lake Pontchartrain and the New Orleans crescent on departure, then tracks the southern edge of the flight path where the Texas Hill Country, New Mexico high desert, Arizona canyon country, and Mojave Desert are visible below. On descent into SFO the left side captures the South Bay and peninsula. Right side gets the Gulf briefly and the Sierra Nevada on approach, but left provides more consistent geographic interest across the full flight.

During takeoff from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), sit on the Left side for the best views. MSY primarily uses runways 10/28 and 20/02. On the dominant westbound departure (runway 10 departing east then turning west, or runway 28 departing west), left-side passengers get views over Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the city of New Orleans including the French Quarter and the Mississippi River bends. The left side tracks over the lake's broad expanse as the aircraft climbs and turns northwest. Notable sights include: Lake Pontchartrain (massive lake immediately north), Mississippi River crescent bend through New Orleans, downtown New Orleans skyline, Lake Borgne to the east.

When landing at San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. On the typical westbound approach to SFO's runways 28L/28R, aircraft descend over the South Bay from the east. Left-side passengers look south over the lower San Francisco Bay, the San Mateo Bridge, and the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge on the horizon. Right side gets San Francisco city and the Golden Gate, but left gives the broader bay geography and the peninsula. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay (South Bay expanse), San Mateo Bridge, Santa Cruz Mountains ridge, San Francisco Peninsula urban grid.

The flight from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) to San Francisco International (SFO) takes Approximately 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours.

The flight path crosses the Texas Hill Country and Edwards Plateau, then the Rio Grande valley near El Paso, the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Desert transition, southern Arizona including the Tucson Basin and Santa Catalina Mountains visible to the north, the Colorado River crossing near Needles, the Mojave Desert, and the southern Sierra Nevada foothills before descending into the Central Valley and across the Diablo Range into SFO.