Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Raleigh-durham to Las Vegas. While the left side wins at departure with the Raleigh skyline, the right side delivers the more spectacular payoff across the full flight. Over the mid-flight you pick up the Mississippi River crossing, Texas Panhandle canyon country, and the New Mexico high desert, and then the Las Vegas arrival on the right is genuinely one of the most dramatic urban approaches in the US with the Strip and Spring Mountains simultaneously in view.

During takeoff from Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Left side for the best views. RDU's primary departure runway 23L sends aircraft southwest, then turning westward. The left side gets a clear view back over downtown Raleigh and Jordan Lake as the aircraft climbs out. Right side faces mostly suburban sprawl and pine forest with little of interest. Notable sights include: Downtown Raleigh skyline, Jordan Lake reservoir, Research Triangle Park campus grid, Falls Lake to the north.

When landing at Mc Carran International (LAS), sit on the Right side for the best views. Las Vegas arrivals typically come in from the east or northeast on runway 26L/26R or 19R, meaning the right side faces south toward the Strip and the Spring Mountains. You get a direct view of the Las Vegas Strip laid out below and the dramatic wall of the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon escarpment to the southwest. Notable sights include: Las Vegas Strip, Spring Mountains and Charleston Peak, Red Rock Canyon escarpment, Lake Mead to the northeast.

The flight from Raleigh Durham International (RDU) to Mc Carran International (LAS) takes Approximately 4 hours 15 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly along the 36th parallel westward. Key features include the Appalachian foothills of western North Carolina, the Tennessee River valley, the Mississippi River crossing near Memphis, the Arkansas and Oklahoma plains, the Texas Panhandle with Palo Duro Canyon visible in clear conditions, the Sangre de Cristo and Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico, the White Sands basin, the Arizona high desert plateau, and the Colorado River before descending into the Las Vegas Valley.