Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to Kansas City. Left side wins both departure and arrival. During the cruise portion heading east, the left side also offers better views of the Sierra Nevada as the aircraft climbs out of California, and the Great Basin terrain of Nevada and Utah. Right side is consistently less interesting on this routing.

During takeoff from San Francisco International (SFO), sit on the Left side for the best views. SFO departures heading east typically use runways 28L/28R or 10L/10R. On an eastbound departure, left-side seats get a clear view of San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and the city skyline as the aircraft climbs and turns east. The right side faces south toward the peninsula with less dramatic scenery. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, Bay Bridge, San Francisco city skyline, San Mateo Bridge.

When landing at Kansas City International (MCI), sit on the Left side for the best views. MCI sits northwest of Kansas City, and aircraft typically approach from the west or southwest on runways 1L/1R or 19L/19R. A left-side seat on approach from the southwest gives views of the Missouri River bends and the Kansas City downtown skyline to the southeast. The right side faces away from the city center. Notable sights include: Missouri River, Kansas City downtown skyline, Kansas River confluence, suburban Kansas City grid.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Kansas City International (MCI) takes Approximately 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes.

Sierra Nevada range crossing over the Lake Tahoe area, Great Basin desert of Nevada with basin-and-range topography, Salt Lake Desert of Utah, Rocky Mountain foothills of Colorado visible to the south, then the flat High Plains of Kansas and Missouri leading into Kansas City