Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Seattle to Washington. The left side wins both ends of this flight. Departing Seattle you get Mount Rainier and the Cascades; arriving at Dulles you get the Potomac River and the Virginia landscape. Across the mid-flight, the left side also faces slightly more southward, keeping the Rocky Mountain ranges and the Great Plains river systems in better view.

During takeoff from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA), sit on the Left side for the best views. SEA's primary departure runways (16L/16R heading south, or 34L/34R heading north) mean a left-side seat gives you views east toward the Cascade Range including Mount Rainier. On a northbound departure climbing out over Puget Sound, the left side also captures Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle's skyline before the aircraft turns east. Notable sights include: Mount Rainier (14,411 ft, dominant to the southeast), Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle waterfront, Lake Washington stretching north-south, Cascade Range foothills.

When landing at Washington Dulles International (IAD), sit on the Left side for the best views. Dulles typically uses runways 01L/01R (northbound) or 19L/19R (southbound) for arrivals. On a westbound approach from the east, the left side gives views of the Potomac River, the National Mall corridor, and the Virginia suburbs spreading out below. The right side faces north toward Maryland with less distinctive geography. Notable sights include: Potomac River winding through the Virginia-Maryland border, Tysons Corner urban cluster, Blue Ridge Mountains on the western horizon, Dulles Access Road corridor.

The flight from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA) to Washington Dulles International (IAD) takes Approximately 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.

The flight path crosses the northern Rocky Mountains over Montana and Idaho, with the Continental Divide visible as a high snow-capped ridgeline. Over North Dakota and Minnesota the Missouri and Mississippi River systems are visible as wide meandering silver ribbons across flat agricultural plains. The Great Lakes may be visible to the north as the route curves southeast over the upper Midwest. Over Ohio and Pennsylvania, the Appalachian ridges appear as parallel corrugated folds running northeast-southwest before the descent into the DC area.