Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Calgary to Frankfurt. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. The Rocky Mountain departure view is one of the most dramatic in North American aviation, and the Rhine-Main approach on the left offers the best urban and river geography at Frankfurt. Over the Atlantic and Greenland mid-flight, neither side has a decisive advantage, but the left side may catch southern Greenland ice sheet views on the great circle routing.

During takeoff from Calgary International (YYC), sit on the Left side for the best views. YYC's primary departure runway 35L/35R sends aircraft northward before turning east, and a left-side seat faces west toward the Rocky Mountains. You get a direct broadside view of the Front Ranges and foothills as the aircraft climbs out over the prairies. The Canadian Rockies are unmistakable from this angle. Notable sights include: Canadian Rockies Front Ranges, Bow River valley, Calgary downtown skyline to the south, Nose Hill Park plateau.

When landing at Frankfurt Main (FRA), sit on the Left side for the best views. Frankfurt typically uses runways 25L/25C for westerly arrivals, with aircraft approaching from the east over the Rhine-Main region. A left-side seat on approach faces south, giving views over the Rhine River, the Taunus hills, and Frankfurt's city center. The right side faces north toward less distinctive terrain. Notable sights include: Rhine River, Frankfurt city center and financial district skyline, Taunus hills, Main River confluence.

The flight from Calgary International (YYC) to Frankfurt Main (FRA) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The great circle route from YYC to FRA tracks northeast over Saskatchewan and Manitoba, then across Hudson Bay or northern Quebec, over southern Greenland's ice sheet and coastal fjords, across the North Atlantic, over Iceland or just south of it, then across Scotland and the North Sea before descending into Germany. Greenland's ice sheet and outlet glaciers are the most visually striking mid-flight feature, visible on clear days as a vast white expanse with dark rocky coastal mountains framing the edges.