Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to Jakarta. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. At SFO departure it captures the bay and city; at HLP arrival it gets the volcanic highlands south of Jakarta. The transoceanic cruise over the Pacific and South China Sea offers little from either side, so the departure and arrival views are the deciding factor.

During takeoff from San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. SFO's primary departure runways (28L/28R) head west over the bay, then aircraft turn northwest or south depending on routing. A southbound departure gives the left side a clear view of the San Francisco Peninsula, the city skyline across the bay, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Right side faces open Pacific with little to see. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, San Francisco city skyline and downtown, San Mateo Bridge, Santa Cruz Mountains.

When landing at Halim Perdanakusuma International (HLP), sit on the Left side for the best views. Halim Perdanakusuma's runway 06/24 means arrivals typically come from the east or west. On approach from the east heading west (runway 24), the left side looks south over the dense urban sprawl of East Jakarta and toward the visible cone of Mount Salak and the Puncak highlands in the distance. Right side faces north toward the Java Sea with less visual interest. Notable sights include: Jakarta urban sprawl, Mount Salak (volcanic cone to the south), Ciliwung River corridor, Puncak highlands ridge.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Halim Perdanakusuma International (HLP) takes Approximately 17 to 18 hours nonstop, though most routings connect through Asian hubs making total travel time 20 to 24 hours.

The flight tracks southwest from SFO across the open North Pacific, crossing the Hawaiian Islands chain (Hawaii visible as dark volcanic landmasses if routing passes nearby), then continues southwest over the vast empty central Pacific. It crosses the equator roughly over open ocean west of Micronesia, then passes over or near the Philippine Sea, the island of Luzon in the Philippines visible as a large mountainous landmass, before descending over the South China Sea and Java Sea toward Jakarta. The Borneo coastline may be visible in the distance depending on exact routing.