Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Taipei to Chicago. Left side wins both ends of the flight. At departure you face Taipei city and the volcanic hills of Yangmingshan; on arrival you get the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan approach. The right side offers open Pacific and flat farmland on approach, which is considerably less interesting.

During takeoff from Chiang Kai Shek International (TPE), sit on the Left side for the best views. TPE departures on runway 05 (northeast) put the left side facing northwest toward Taipei city and the Danshui River estuary. You get a clear view of the Taipei Basin, the dense urban grid, and Yangmingshan volcanic range rising behind the city before the aircraft turns east over the Pacific. Notable sights include: Taipei Basin urban grid, Danshui River mouth and estuary, Yangmingshan National Park volcanic hills, Taiwan Strait coastline to the northwest.

When landing at Chicago Ohare International (ORD), sit on the Left side for the best views. ORD arrivals from the west typically use runways 10L/10R (heading east), placing the left side facing north over the Chicago suburbs and Lake Michigan's southern shoreline. You get a long approach view of the Chicago skyline from the northwest, with the lake opening up to the northeast and the dense suburban grid of Cook County below. Notable sights include: Chicago downtown skyline (Willis Tower, John Hancock visible), Lake Michigan southern shoreline, Des Plaines River valley below, Cook County suburban grid.

The flight from Chiang Kai Shek International (TPE) to Chicago Ohare International (ORD) takes Approximately 14 to 15 hours nonstop.

The great circle route from TPE to ORD arcs northeast over the North Pacific, passing south of the Aleutian Islands chain, crossing the Gulf of Alaska, then tracking over the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta before descending over the Great Plains into Illinois. Midpoint is roughly over the central North Pacific at around 50N 170E. Notable features include the Aleutian Islands visible as a chain of volcanic peaks on the northern horizon, the snow-covered peaks of the Alaska Range and Coast Mountains of British Columbia during the North American landfall, and the Canadian Rockies visible as a dramatic snow-capped cordillera before the terrain flattens into the prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.