Sunseat

Which side of the plane gets the sun?
h m

Pick two airports and a departure time to see where the sun will be from your seat.

Try one of these:

LAX → JFK, morning JFK → LHR, overnight SFO → HND DXB → SYD

Cancún to London: which side of the plane gets the sun?

On Cancún to London, the shady side depends on when you fly: check the table for your departure time and season.

Best side for shade

Departure time is local at CUN. Seasons use the solstices and equinoxes.
DepartingMarJunSepDec
Morning07:00LeftLeftsunset leftLeftLeftsunrise right
Midday12:00Rightsunset leftRightsunset leftRightsunset leftLeft
Afternoon16:00Rightsunset leftRightsunset leftRightsunset leftEithersun high, ahead or behind
Evening20:00LeftLeftLeftLeftsunrise right

The route starts out heading northeast. When it happens during the flight, the sunrise can be on either side, depending on season and time, and the sunset is on the left.

About this flight

Cancún (CUN) to London (LGW) is about 7,976 km on the shortest path, typically around 10h 00m gate to gate. Set your exact departure time above to see where the sun is minute by minute.

How accurate is this?

Real flights don't fly exactly the shortest path, and delays and winds shift the timing, so treat sunrise and sunset times as approximate. At cruise altitude the sun sets 10 to 20 minutes later than on the ground. A bright cloud deck below can reflect glare in on either side. More on accuracy.

Related routes

  • LGW → CUN (return)
  • CUN → MEX
  • CUN → JFK
  • CUN → DFW
  • All routes
How accurate is this?

Sun positions are exact; the flight is an estimate. Three things move the answer:

  • Route. We assume the shortest (great-circle) path. Real flights bend for jet streams, airways and closed airspace. A few degrees rarely changes the side, but it can when the sun is nearly ahead or behind.
  • Timing. Delays, holding and a faster or slower crossing shift every sunrise and sunset along the way. Wind alone can change a long-haul flight by an hour.
  • Altitude and weather. At cruise the horizon sits about 3° below level, so the sun rises earlier and sets later than on the ground, which we account for. Cloud below can't hide the sun, but it reflects strong glare up through the windows; climbing or descending through cloud softens the light.

More on how this works

Airport data © OurAirports (public domain); route list derived from OpenFlights (ODbL).