Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to St. Louis. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. Departing SFO you get the Bay and city, and arriving at STL you get the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi. The mid-flight views over Nevada, Utah, and Colorado are broadly similar on both sides, so the departure and arrival clinch it for the left.

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 turn north or east. A left-side seat gives you San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and the Bay Bridge as you climb out and bank eastward. 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 Lambert St Louis International (STL), sit on the Left side for the best views. Lambert STL primarily uses runways 12L/12R or 30L/30R. On approach from the west on runway 30, the aircraft tracks over the Missouri River valley and the left side gives a clear view of the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis just before touchdown. The right side faces north toward suburban sprawl with little of note. Notable sights include: Gateway Arch, Mississippi River, Missouri River confluence, Downtown St. Louis skyline.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Lambert St Louis International (STL) takes Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes.

The route tracks roughly along the 38th parallel. After the Sierra Nevada crossing (visible as a snow-capped ridge), the flight passes over the Great Basin desert of Nevada, the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, the Colorado Rockies including the Uinta Mountains and the high plains of Colorado, then the flat agricultural expanse of Kansas and Missouri. The Missouri River is visible snaking eastward in the final descent.