Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Raleigh-durham to London. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Over the Atlantic the views are largely ocean regardless of side, but the left seat delivers the better urban and geographic scenery at departure over the Research Triangle and the superior approach scenery over Windsor and the Thames Valley on arrival into Heathrow.

During takeoff from Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Left side for the best views. RDU typically departs northeast on runway 23L/5R or uses runway 14/32. On a transatlantic routing heading northeast, a left-side seat looks back northwest over the Research Triangle urban area — Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill are all visible as a connected grid of streets and development. The Eno River and Falls Lake reservoir are also identifiable from low altitude. Notable sights include: Falls Lake reservoir to the north, downtown Raleigh skyline to the southeast, Durham city grid to the west, Jordan Lake to the southwest.

When landing at Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Left side for the best views. Heathrow predominantly uses its easterly runways (09L/09R) for arrivals, meaning aircraft approach from the west over Windsor and the Thames Valley. A left-side seat on this approach looks south over Windsor Great Park, the Thames river bends, and central London visible in the distance to the east. The right side faces north over suburban Slough and Uxbridge with less distinctive scenery. Notable sights include: Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park, River Thames bends near Staines, central London skyline on the distant horizon to the east, Wembley Stadium arch visible to the northeast.

The flight from Raleigh Durham International (RDU) to Heathrow (LHR) takes Approximately 8 to 8.5 hours.

The flight tracks northeast from RDU, crossing coastal North Carolina and the Outer Banks, then out over the North Atlantic. The route passes south of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, crosses the North Atlantic roughly between 45-55 degrees north latitude, then approaches the UK over Ireland or southwest England. Mid-flight features are almost entirely open ocean, though on clear days the southern tip of Greenland or Iceland may be distantly visible on more northerly routings. The Irish coastline and patchwork green fields of southern Ireland are typically the first landfall before crossing Wales or southwest England into the Thames Valley.