Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Phoenix to Raleigh-durham. The right side wins overall because the PHX departure delivers genuinely dramatic desert scenery — the Superstition Mountains and South Mountain are hard to beat — and through the cruise phase the right side faces south, giving views over the Texas Hill Country, the Mississippi River crossing near Memphis, and the Tennessee River valley. The left side at RDU is good but brief.

During takeoff from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), sit on the Right side for the best views. PHX typically departs east on runway 26R/8, and eastbound departures climb out over the Valley of the Sun. The right side gives you a clear view of South Mountain Park and the Superstition Mountains to the southeast as the plane banks northeast. You also get a good look at the Salt River and Tempe Town Lake below. Notable sights include: South Mountain Park, Superstition Mountains, Tempe Town Lake, Salt River bed.

When landing at Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Left side for the best views. RDU typically lands from the east on runway 23L/5R or approaches from the northeast. On approach from the west or southwest, the left side faces south and gives you views over downtown Raleigh's skyline and Jordan Lake. The right side looks north toward Durham and Chapel Hill but the left offers the more visually interesting urban and water features. Notable sights include: Downtown Raleigh skyline, Jordan Lake, Falls Lake reservoir, William B. Umstead State Park forest.

The flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) to Raleigh Durham International (RDU) takes Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly east-northeast from Phoenix, crossing the New Mexico high desert and the Rio Grande valley near Albuquerque, then over the Llano Estacado flatlands of west Texas, the Texas Hill Country around Abilene, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex visible as a massive urban grid, then northeast over the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, crossing the Mississippi River near Memphis Tennessee, then across the Tennessee Valley and the western Appalachian foothills of the Smoky Mountains before descending into the Piedmont of North Carolina.