Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to Baltimore. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Departing SFO you get the Bay and SF skyline; arriving BWI you get the Chesapeake Bay and the Bay Bridge at Annapolis. The right side offers comparatively little at either airport.

During takeoff from San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. SFO typically departs westward over the Bay on runways 28L/28R, then turns north or east. A left/south-facing seat gives you San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and the Peninsula as you climb out. You get a clear look at the Bay Bridge and downtown SF before the aircraft turns east. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, SF city skyline and downtown, Bay Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge.

When landing at Baltimore Washington International (BWI), sit on the Left side for the best views. BWI typically lands on runway 28 from the east, meaning the aircraft approaches from the Chesapeake Bay side heading west. A left/south-facing seat gives you the Chesapeake Bay, the Bay Bridge at Annapolis, and the Maryland shoreline on approach. The right side faces north toward Baltimore's suburbs with less dramatic geography. Notable sights include: Chesapeake Bay, William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge (Bay Bridge) at Annapolis, Patapsco River, Baltimore Inner Harbor.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) takes Approximately 5 hours 15 minutes to 5 hours 45 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly along the 38th parallel, crossing the Sierra Nevada (visible as a high snow-capped range early in the flight), then the Great Basin desert of Nevada and Utah, the Rocky Mountains over Colorado or Wyoming, the Great Plains of Nebraska and Kansas, and finally the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and western Maryland before descending into the Baltimore area. The Mississippi River may be visible depending on exact routing.