Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Chicago to London. Left side wins both ends of the flight. Over the Atlantic the views are similar on both sides, but the left side also tracks slightly closer to the southern tip of Greenland's ice sheet and Iceland's coast depending on the exact routing, giving occasional dramatic glimpses of sea ice and glaciated terrain that the right side misses.

During takeoff from Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. ORD departures heading east or northeast (common for transatlantic routing) put the left side facing north toward downtown Chicago. You get a clear view of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan's southern tip, and the lakefront. Right side faces southwest toward suburban sprawl with nothing distinctive. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock), Lake Michigan shoreline, Navy Pier and Grant Park lakefront, Evanston and North Shore suburbs along the lake.

When landing at Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heathrow's most common landing direction is from the west on runways 27L/27R, meaning the aircraft approaches heading east. The left side faces north, giving views over Windsor, the Thames valley, and central London in the distance. The right side faces south toward Surrey suburbs with no landmark concentration. Notable sights include: Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park, River Thames snaking eastward toward London, Wembley Stadium arch visible to the north, West London suburbs of Ealing and Chiswick.

The flight from Chicago Ohare International (ORD) to Heathrow (LHR) takes Approximately 8 to 9 hours.

The great circle route takes the flight northeast over Lake Huron and southern Ontario, then over Quebec and Labrador, out over the North Atlantic passing south of Greenland or occasionally near its southern tip, then across Iceland's airspace, over the North Atlantic again toward Scotland, and finally south over northern England and the Midlands into London. Key features include the Canadian Shield's lake-dotted boreal landscape, the Labrador coast, possible views of Greenland's ice cap edge on the southern horizon, and the Scottish Highlands as the first European landfall.