Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Chicago to Helsinki. The left seat wins overall. The Chicago departure view is one of the most dramatic urban-lakefront departures in North America, and the left seat also tracks the southern edge of the polar route, offering views over southern Greenland's ice sheet and the Norwegian coastline during the cruise portion of the flight.

During takeoff from Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departures from ORD most commonly use runways 10L/10R heading east, or 28L/28R heading west. On an eastbound departure toward the Atlantic, a left (south-facing) seat gives you the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan shoreline as the aircraft climbs and turns northeast. The downtown Loop and lakefront are clearly visible from the south side of the aircraft. Notable sights include: Chicago Loop skyline, Lake Michigan shoreline, Navy Pier, Indiana Dunes coastline to the southeast.

When landing at Helsinki Vantaa (HEL), sit on the Right side for the best views. Helsinki Vantaa's primary arrival runways are 22L/22R (southwest approach) or 04L/04R (northeast approach). On a transatlantic arrival from the west, aircraft typically approach from the northwest on runway 22. A right (north-facing) seat gives views over the Finnish archipelago, the Gulf of Finland, and Helsinki city center and harbor as the aircraft descends. Notable sights include: Gulf of Finland, Helsinki city center and harbor, Finnish lake district to the north, Stockholm archipelago islands on the western horizon during approach.

The flight from Chicago Ohare International (ORD) to Helsinki Vantaa (HEL) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The great circle route from ORD to HEL passes over the northern Great Lakes, then Quebec and Labrador in Canada, crosses the Labrador Sea, tracks over southern Greenland where the ice sheet and coastal fjords are visible, crosses Iceland or just south of it, then passes over the Norwegian Sea before making landfall over Norway and Sweden. The Scandinavian coastline and Swedish lake district are visible during descent into Helsinki.