Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Seattle to Raleigh-durham. Left side wins both ends of the flight. The Mount Rainier and Cascade departure view is one of the most spectacular in domestic US aviation, and the left side also delivers the Raleigh skyline on approach. During cruise, the left side faces generally south and picks up better views of the Appalachian ridges as the flight crosses Virginia and North Carolina.

During takeoff from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA), sit on the Left side for the best views. SeaTac's primary departure runway 16L/34R means northbound or southbound departures. On a typical eastbound departure routing, aircraft often climb out heading south then turn east, putting Mount Rainier and the Cascade Range on the left (east) side. The left side gets the dominant view of Rainier's massive volcanic cone and the full Cascade ridgeline. Notable sights include: Mount Rainier (14,411 ft volcanic cone), Lake Washington, Cascade Range ridgeline, Puget Sound.

When landing at Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Left side for the best views. RDU's primary arrival runways 23L/23R bring aircraft in from the northeast, tracking southwest over the Research Triangle area. The left side faces southeast, giving views of downtown Raleigh's skyline and Jordan Lake as the aircraft descends. The right side looks northwest toward Durham and Chapel Hill but over less visually distinctive terrain. Notable sights include: Downtown Raleigh skyline, Jordan Lake, Falls Lake reservoir, Research Triangle Park campus grid.

The flight from Seattle Tacoma International (SEA) to Raleigh Durham International (RDU) takes Approximately 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly southeast across the northern Rockies and Great Plains before crossing the Mississippi River valley near Memphis or St. Louis. Over Montana and Wyoming, the Rocky Mountain ranges are visible below. The flight then crosses the flat agricultural expanse of Kansas and Missouri before the terrain rises again into the Appalachian Mountains over Virginia and North Carolina, where the Blue Ridge and Allegheny ridgelines create a distinctive parallel ridge-and-valley pattern visible from cruise altitude.