Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Beijing to Seoul. While takeoff favors the right for mountain views, the landing experience on the left is more dramatic and sustained—the approach to ICN provides extended views of the Yellow Sea, harbor infrastructure, and coastal geography that outweigh the brief mountain scenery during Beijing departure. Left seats capture the most distinctive visual sequence for this route.

During takeoff from Capital (PEK), sit on the Right side for the best views. PEK typically departs runways 01L/01R (northbound) or 16L/16R (southbound). Right-side seats offer views of the Ming Tombs and Yanqing District mountains during northbound climbs, or the urban sprawl and reservoir systems during southbound departures. The right bank provides better sightlines to the western mountain ranges that frame Beijing's geography. Notable sights include: Ming Tombs (Changling Mausoleum area), Yanqing Mountains, Guanting Reservoir, Beijing urban grid extending south toward Daxing District.

When landing at Incheon International (ICN), sit on the Left side for the best views. ICN approaches typically use runways 03L/03R (eastbound) or 15L/15R (westbound). Left-side seats during eastbound approaches (the more common arrival direction) provide excellent views of the Yellow Sea, Incheon's harbor infrastructure, and the Gyeonggi Bay area. Westbound approaches also favor left seats for views of the Han River estuary and Seoul's southern districts. Notable sights include: Yellow Sea (Hwanghae), Incheon Harbor and container terminals, Gyeonggi Bay, Han River estuary.

The flight from Capital (PEK) to Incheon International (ICN) takes Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes.

The flight path crosses the Yellow Sea (Bohai Bay initially, then open water). At cruise altitude (33,000-35,000 feet), the Bohai Strait separates mainland China from the Liaodong Peninsula. The Shandong Peninsula appears as a landmass to the south during the crossing. The flight then approaches the Korean peninsula, with North Korea's mountainous terrain (Nangrim Mountains) visible to the left/north before descending toward Incheon on the west coast. The DMZ region remains too far inland to be clearly visible, but the peninsula's general topography—mountains in the interior, coastal plains—becomes apparent during descent.