Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Phoenix to Aachen. The right side delivers the dramatic Phoenix desert departure with Camelback Mountain and the Sonoran Desert landscape, and over Europe the right side tracks north of the Alps offering views of the Rhine Valley and German lowlands on descent. The left side at Aachen is compelling but the right side's consistent performance across departure and the transatlantic cruise edge it out overall.

During takeoff from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), sit on the Right side for the best views. PHX primarily uses runways 7R/25L and 8/26. Departing eastbound on runway 7R/8, a right-side seat faces south toward South Mountain Park and the Estrella Mountains. Departing westbound on 25L/26, right side faces north toward Camelback Mountain and the McDowell Mountains rising above the Scottsdale sprawl. Notable sights include: South Mountain Park (largest municipal park in the US, clearly visible as a dark ridgeline south of the airport), Camelback Mountain (distinctive camel-hump silhouette northeast of downtown), McDowell Mountains (rugged range northeast of Scottsdale), Salt River channel and its dry braided bed east of the airport.

When landing at Aachen Merzbruck (AAH), sit on the Left side for the best views. Aachen/Merzbruck (EDKA) is a small airfield with runway 23/05. On approach to runway 23 (the common southwesterly landing direction), the left side faces southeast toward the Aachen city center, the Aachener Dom cathedral district, and the rolling Eifel highlands beyond. The Vaalserberg tri-border point of Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium is also visible to the south-left. Notable sights include: Aachen city center with the Aachener Dom (cathedral) visible as a dense historic urban core, Vaalserberg hill at the tri-border junction of Germany/Netherlands/Belgium, the Eifel plateau rolling away to the southeast, the flat Dutch lowlands of the Maas valley spreading to the northwest.

The flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) to Aachen Merzbruck (AAH) takes Approximately 11 to 12 hours (no direct service exists; typical routing connects via major hubs like Frankfurt or Amsterdam, adding 3-5 hours total travel time).

Eastbound routing typically crosses the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains over New Mexico, then the Great Plains, then the US Northeast coast near New York or Boston. The North Atlantic crossing passes south of Greenland and Iceland. European landfall is typically over Ireland or the UK, then across England and the English Channel, descending over the Netherlands or Belgium into western Germany. Notable en-route features include the Hudson Bay coastline if routing north, the Irish coastline, and the Rhine-Ruhr industrial region on descent into western Germany.