Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Seattle to Amsterdam. Left wins both the departure and arrival phases. At takeoff you get Mount Rainier and the Seattle waterfront; on landing you get the IJsselmeer and the Amsterdam polder landscape. The right side offers little of comparable interest at either end of the flight.

During takeoff from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA), sit on the Left side for the best views. SEA typically departs north on runway 16L/34R or south on 16C, meaning a northbound departure swings left to reveal Elliott Bay, downtown Seattle, and the Olympic Peninsula across Puget Sound. Mount Rainier dominates the left side as the aircraft climbs southeast before turning north toward the polar route. Notable sights include: Mount Rainier (14,411 ft, southeast), Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle skyline, Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula beyond, Lake Washington to the east.

When landing at Schiphol (AMS), sit on the Left side for the best views. Schiphol typically lands from the east or northeast on runways 18R, 22, or 27. On approach from the northeast over the North Sea, the left side gives a clear view of the Dutch coastline, the IJsselmeer, and the flat green polder landscape of North Holland. The right side faces inland toward less distinctive terrain. Notable sights include: IJsselmeer (large inland lake), Dutch polder farmland grid, North Sea coastline and barrier islands, Amsterdam city center canals.

The flight from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA) to Schiphol (AMS) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The great circle polar route takes the flight north over British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies, then across Hudson Bay or northern Quebec, over the Labrador Sea, southern Greenland's ice sheet and fjords, Iceland (often visible as a dark volcanic mass with snow), the Norwegian Sea, and finally the North Sea before descending into the Netherlands. Greenland's ice cap and Iceland are the most visually dramatic midpoint features on the left side.