Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Salt Lake City to Chicago. Left side wins both ends of the flight. At departure you get the Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Range, and at arrival you get the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. The right side at both ends faces away from the primary landmarks. Left is the clear choice for the full journey.

During takeoff from Salt Lake City International (SLC), sit on the Left side for the best views. SLC typically departs east on runway 16L/34R or uses runways oriented north-south. On an eastbound departure climbing out heading northeast toward Chicago, the left side faces north and northwest, giving a direct view of the Great Salt Lake's broad expanse and the Wasatch Front rising immediately east of the city. The lake's shallow, often pinkish-tinged waters and the sharp mountain wall are the defining visual of any SLC departure. Notable sights include: Great Salt Lake (northwest), Wasatch Range (east, including Mount Olympus and Twin Peaks), Salt Lake Valley urban grid, Antelope Island in the lake.

When landing at Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. O'Hare predominantly uses runways oriented east-west (9L/27R, 10/28) and northwest-southeast (14/32). On a westbound approach from the east or southeast, the left side faces south toward downtown Chicago, Lake Michigan's shoreline, and the city's lakefront. The Chicago skyline and the lake's blue expanse are unmistakable on final approach. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock), Lake Michigan shoreline, Chicago River grid, suburban Cook County sprawl.

The flight from Salt Lake City International (SLC) to Chicago Ohare International (ORD) takes Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

The flight tracks northeast across Wyoming's high plains and the Laramie Range, then over Nebraska's flat Platte River valley and cornbelt farmland, crossing the Missouri River into Iowa before entering Illinois. The Rocky Mountain foothills are visible early in the flight, gradually giving way to the immense flat agricultural grid of the Great Plains — section-line roads, center-pivot irrigation circles in Nebraska, and the Missouri River's meandering channel are the main features at cruising altitude.