San Francisco to London flight path: SFO to LHR

Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to London. The left side wins on cumulative scenery: San Francisco Bay at departure, then a long cruise offering views of the Cascade volcanoes, the Canadian Rockies, and Greenland's ice sheet along the great-circle route north. The right side spends most of the flight over flat Canadian prairie and open ocean, only redeemed by the London skyline on landing.

During takeoff from San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing SFO on the eastbound runways, the aircraft climbs out over San Francisco Bay before banking north toward the polar route, putting the city and its waterfront squarely on the left side. Passengers get a classic bay-area flyby that the right side, facing south toward San Jose suburbs, can't match. Notable sights include: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz Island, Bay Bridge.

When landing at Heathrow (LHR), sit on the Right side for the best views. On the typical westerly approach into Heathrow, arriving aircraft track in from the east and pass north of central London before turning onto final for runway 27, putting the Thames, the City skyline, and Canary Wharf on the right side of the cabin. The left side mostly overlooks the quieter suburbs of south London. Notable sights include: River Thames, City of London skyline, Canary Wharf towers, London Eye.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Heathrow (LHR) takes 10h 05m.

The route's midpoint lies over the Canadian Arctic and Hudson Bay region, with the flight later crossing southern Greenland's ice sheet and coastal fjords before reaching Iceland and the North Atlantic approach to the UK.