Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from San Francisco to Vancouver. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. During the cruise northward along the Pacific Coast, the left side also faces inland toward the Cascades and Oregon Coast Range, offering occasional views of volcanic peaks like Mount Shasta and Mount Rainier depending on routing and visibility. The right side faces open Pacific Ocean for most of the flight.

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 northward. A left/window seat gives you San Francisco Bay, the city skyline, and the Bay Bridge as you climb out. The right side faces the Peninsula suburbs with little of interest. Notable sights include: San Francisco Bay, Bay Bridge, San Francisco city skyline, Marin Headlands.

When landing at Vancouver International (YVR), sit on the Left side for the best views. YVR's primary landing approach on runway 26L/26R comes in from the east over the Fraser River delta. A left seat gives views of downtown Vancouver, Burrard Inlet, and the North Shore mountains during the approach. The right side looks south over flat Richmond farmland. Notable sights include: Downtown Vancouver skyline, Burrard Inlet, North Shore Mountains (Coast Range), Fraser River delta.

The flight from San Francisco International (SFO) to Vancouver International (YVR) takes Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

The flight tracks roughly up the Pacific Coast corridor. Notable features include the Oregon Coast and Willamette Valley to the left, Mount Shasta (14,179 ft) visible to the left in northern California, the Cascade Range running parallel to the left side through Oregon and Washington, and Mount Rainier (14,411 ft) potentially visible to the left on approach into the Pacific Northwest. The right side faces the open Pacific Ocean for the majority of the cruise.