Shanghai to New York flight path: PVG to LGA

Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Shanghai to New York. Both sides are limited by roughly 6-7 hours of open Pacific and Arctic terrain with almost nothing visible below, but the left side's Shanghai delta departure combines with occasional glimpses of the Alaskan/Canadian coastline near the midpoint to edge out the right side, which is more purely oceanic until the final descent.

During takeoff from Shanghai Pudong International (PVG), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing PVG northbound, the left side offers views over the Yangtze River delta and Shanghai's coastline before the route heads out over the Bohai Sea and Korean peninsula. There's brief but genuine coastal and river-delta scenery before the long oceanic and polar stretch begins. Notable sights include: Yangtze River estuary, Shanghai coastline and harbor, Hangzhou Bay, Chinese coastal wetlands.

When landing at La Guardia (LGA), sit on the Right side for the best views. On approach to LGA from the north/northwest, the right side gives passengers the classic Manhattan skyline and East River view as the aircraft banks over Long Island Sound, one of the most recognizable landing sequences in commercial aviation. This is a significant scenic boost that the left side over Westchester and Connecticut suburbs can't match. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, East River and Hell Gate Bridge, Long Island Sound, LaGuardia's Flushing Bay approach.

The flight from Shanghai Pudong International (PVG) to La Guardia (LGA) takes 13h 25m.

North Pacific Ocean, Aleutian Islands chain (occasionally visible in clear weather), Gulf of Alaska coastline, and the forested mountains of British Columbia before crossing into the Canadian prairies