Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Raleigh-durham to Seattle. Left side wins both the departure and arrival. The arrival view of Mount Rainier from the left seat on the SeaTac approach is one of the most dramatic mountain views available on any domestic US route, and that alone makes left the clear choice for the full flight.

During takeoff from Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Left side for the best views. RDU primarily departs on runway 23L/23R heading southwest, or runway 5L/5R heading northeast. On the dominant westbound departures, the left side gets views over the Research Triangle urban area and Jordan Lake to the south. On northeast departures, left side sees downtown Raleigh clearly as the aircraft banks west. Notable sights include: Downtown Raleigh skyline, Jordan Lake reservoir, Falls Lake to the north, Research Triangle Park campus grid.

When landing at Seattle Tacoma International (SEA), sit on the Left side for the best views. SeaTac primarily lands on runways 16L/16R heading south, meaning the aircraft approaches from the north over the Seattle metro area. The left side faces east toward Mount Rainier and the Cascades, which is the dominant visual spectacle on approach. Right side gets Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula, which is also scenic but Rainier is the standout feature. Notable sights include: Mount Rainier (14,411 ft), the Cascade Range, Lake Washington, downtown Seattle skyline.

The flight from Raleigh Durham International (RDU) to Seattle Tacoma International (SEA) takes Approximately 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours westbound.

The flight tracks northwest across the Appalachian ridges of Virginia and West Virginia, then over the flat agricultural plains of the Midwest through Indiana and Illinois. Crossing the Mississippi River near St. Louis is a notable landmark. The route then crosses the Great Plains of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota before reaching the dramatic terrain change at the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming or Montana, with the Bighorn Mountains and eventually the Northern Rockies visible. The Columbia River Plateau and high desert of eastern Washington precede the final descent into the Cascades.