Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Phoenix to London. Left side wins both ends of the flight. The Phoenix departure gives you Camelback Mountain and the Sonoran Desert terrain, and the London arrival gives you the Thames and the central London skyline on final approach — the single most dramatic urban aerial view of the entire journey.

During takeoff from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), sit on the Left side for the best views. PHX typically departs east on runway 26 or west on runway 8. On a northeasterly routing toward London, aircraft climb out heading roughly northwest, putting the South Mountain Park and the Phoenix metro grid on the left side, with the distinctive Camelback Mountain and the McDowell Mountains visible to the left as the aircraft banks north. The right side gets suburban sprawl toward Tempe and Mesa with less dramatic terrain. Notable sights include: Camelback Mountain (distinctive camel-hump silhouette east of downtown Phoenix), South Mountain Park (large dark ridge immediately south of the city), the Salt River valley grid below, McDowell Mountains to the northeast.

When landing at Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heathrow predominantly lands on westerly headings (runways 27L/27R), meaning aircraft approach from the east over central London. On the left side you get a direct view over the Thames, the City of London, and the central London skyline as the aircraft descends through roughly 3,000-5,000 feet on final approach. The right side faces north toward the suburbs of Hounslow and Ealing with far less to see. Notable sights include: The Thames river bends through central London, the Canary Wharf cluster of towers in Docklands, the City of London skyline including the Shard and Gherkin, Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park visible further west during descent.

The flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) to Heathrow (LHR) takes Approximately 10 to 11 hours.

The great circle route from PHX to LHR tracks northeast over the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains, then across the northern Great Plains, crosses the Atlantic via Newfoundland and the Labrador Sea, passes south of Greenland, crosses Iceland or just south of it, then tracks southeast over Scotland and northern England before descending into London. Notable features include the Canadian Rockies, the St. Lawrence River estuary, the North Atlantic, and the Scottish Highlands on descent.