Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to Washington. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Departing SFO you get San Francisco Bay and the city, and arriving DCA you get the full monumental core of Washington. During cruise the flight tracks across Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and the Midwest, where left side offers slightly better angles on the Rockies as you cross them heading east.

During takeoff from San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. SFO typically departs northward on runways 28L/28R or southward on 1L/1R. On the dominant westward departures over the bay, left side gives you San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and the Bay Bridge. On northbound departures, left side tracks along the peninsula with clear views of the bay and city. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, Bay Bridge, San Francisco city skyline, San Mateo Bridge.

When landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA), sit on the Left side for the best views. DCA's primary arrival runway 19 approaches from the north over the Potomac River, giving left-side passengers a direct view of the National Mall, Capitol Hill, and the Washington Monument as the aircraft descends. The approach path runs almost directly over the city's monumental core on the left side. Notable sights include: Washington Monument, National Mall, U.S. Capitol, Potomac River.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) takes Approximately 5 hours 15 minutes.

After departing the Bay Area the route crosses the Sierra Nevada range over the Lake Tahoe region, then the Great Basin desert of Nevada and Utah. The Colorado Rockies are crossed roughly over the Denver area, where 14,000-foot peaks are visible as snow-capped ridgelines. The flight then tracks across the Kansas and Missouri plains, the Mississippi River valley, and the Appalachian ridges of West Virginia and Virginia before descending into the DC area.