Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Chicago to Fairbanks. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Departure gives you the Chicago skyline and lakefront, and arrival gives you the Alaska Range and Tanana Valley. En route over Canada the left side also faces generally south and west, which on a great circle routing keeps the more dramatic terrain — Canadian Rockies foothills and eventually the Yukon ranges — slightly better positioned on the left.

During takeoff from Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. ORD's primary westbound departures on runways 10L/10C/10R send aircraft climbing northwest, putting the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan on the left side. You get a clear view of the downtown Loop, Grant Park, and the lakefront as the aircraft banks north. Notable sights include: Chicago Loop skyline, Lake Michigan shoreline, Grant Park and Museum Campus, Wrigley Field area in Lincoln Park.

When landing at Fairbanks International (FAI), sit on the Left side for the best views. Fairbanks sits in the Tanana Valley, and aircraft typically approach from the southeast on runway 2L/2R, meaning the left side faces west toward the Alaska Range. The left window gives you the best view of the Tanana River floodplain and the Alaska Range peaks including Denali on clear days. Notable sights include: Alaska Range including Denali on clear days, Tanana River floodplain, Chena River confluence near Fairbanks, boreal taiga forest stretching to the horizon.

The flight from Chicago Ohare International (ORD) to Fairbanks International (FAI) takes Approximately 6 to 7 hours nonstop.

The great circle route from ORD to FAI tracks northwest over Wisconsin and Minnesota, then crosses southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, arcs over northern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, and descends into interior Alaska. Notable features include Lake Winnipeg visible early in the flight, the boreal forest transition across central Canada, the Mackenzie Mountains and Selwyn Mountains in the Yukon, and the broad Yukon River valley before crossing the Alaska Range foothills into the Tanana Valley.