Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Santiago to Amsterdam. The Andes departure on the right side is one of the most spectacular views in commercial aviation — a wall of 6,000-7,000m peaks seen up close during climb-out. The Amsterdam approach on the left is interesting but relatively subtle. The Andes experience tips the balance decisively to the right side for the overall flight.

During takeoff from Arturo Merino Benitez International (SCL), sit on the Right side for the best views. SCL's primary departure runway is 17/35, and northbound departures on Runway 35 climb out heading north with a right turn eastward. This puts the Andes — including Aconcagua and the central Chilean cordillera — on the right side as the aircraft banks east. The snow-capped peaks rise dramatically above the smog layer of Santiago's basin. Notable sights include: Aconcagua (6,961m, highest peak in the Americas), Tupungato volcano, Santiago city grid in the basin below, Mapocho River valley cutting through the urban area.

When landing at Schiphol (AMS), sit on the Left side for the best views. Schiphol's most common landing approach is from the east or southeast on runways 18R/18C, meaning the aircraft approaches from the southeast heading northwest. The left side faces southwest, giving views over the Dutch polder landscape, the Westeinderplassen lakes, and the North Sea coast. The right side faces northeast toward Amsterdam city center, but the left offers a broader panorama of the flat reclaimed-land geography that defines the Netherlands. Notable sights include: Westeinderplassen lake complex southwest of Schiphol, Dutch polder grid of rectangular fields and canals, North Sea coastline and dune belt visible to the west, greenhouse complexes of the Westland region glinting in low northern light.

The flight from Arturo Merino Benitez International (SCL) to Schiphol (AMS) takes Approximately 14 to 15 hours depending on routing and winds.

The route typically tracks northeast from Santiago across the South Atlantic, passing near the Brazilian coast around Rio de Janeiro or Recife, then crossing the equatorial Atlantic. The mid-Atlantic crossing offers no land features but the ITCZ convective cloud systems are often visible. The route then passes over West Africa — potentially the Sahara Desert with its vast sand seas and ergs visible in daylight — before crossing the Iberian Peninsula and France into the Netherlands.