Trip Reports - Most Scenic Flights Worldwide?

Just wondering what are your favorite flights to take worldwide?

most scenic: worldwide many.

From my homeland (Switzerland): Zürich (Switzerland) - Milano (Northern Italy) over the Alps!

The most scenic flight was on a Chalk Air sea plane between Miami Harbour and Paradise Island, Bahamas with a 45 minute stop in Bimini. A wonderful experience.

Less dramatic but still nice; between St Kitts and Nevis, St Maarten and St Barts, Papeete to Bora Bora and Athens to Mykonos.

I agree that flying over the Swiss alps is always a beautiful sight.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Rudi:
From my homeland (Switzerland): Zürich (Switzerland) - Milano (Northern Italy) over the Alps!</font>

Same view, but more spectacular approach: Zürich (Switzerland ) - Lugano-Agno (Switzerland), in a Crossair Saab turboprop. Sometimes available for $60 from ZRH, visit to my relatives included.... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif



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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line.

There are a number of small carriers that fly everyday eastwardly from Kathmandu, just to show passengers the Himalayas. The view of Mt. Everest and its cousins from 19,000 feet is one you will never forget.

On one LH flight from Nice (runway on the beach) to Munich, the pilot circled the Zugspitze (highest peak in Germany) to give everyone a better look.

My very first flight to Geneva, Switzerland to attend university there. What a beautiful country Switzerland is!

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AAdvantage Platinum
AMEX Platinum (Canada)

I've had a few I thought were pretty spectacular:

Paros, Greece to Athens - we flew over lots of islands and reefs than we had just sailed through. It was beautiful.

I've had some flights where the captain has some time and gets clearance to circle over the Grand Canyon and Lake Tahoe. A tip on this is to always sit on the left. If a captain is going to do this he's going to make lefts (the side he sits on). In fact, if the captain's flying the plane the majority of your turns will be left turns.

Flying into San Francisco is always awesome.

Flying over the Italian Alps.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MON81
Just wondering: what are your favorite flights to take worldwide?</font>

My favorite flights to take worldwide are to anywhere in International First Class aboard a 747 flying westbound at sunset.

As for most scenic routes:

1. Fairbanks to Anchorage, especially with diversion around Denali
2. Any flight anywhere between Anchorage and Ketchikan
3. Denver to Durango, Colorado CVR-580
4. Papeete to Bora Bora Air Polynesie F27
5. Santiago to Buenos Aires LH 747-400
6. Arica (Chile) to La Paz LB 727-200
7. Tongatapu to Apia (Western Samoa) NZ 767-300
8. St. Lucia to Antigua (EA 727-100)
9. Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt UC 737-200
10.Quito to Guayaquil EU 707-320

[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited 03-16-2002).]

I heard ANC-SEA is beautiful, especially if you sit on the left side going south, and right side going north.

Queenstown to Milford Sound, NZ. They sometimes even let you fly the plane. :-)
Santiago to Punta Arenas is also an awesome flight on the left hand side.


[This message has been edited by hauteboy (edited 03-16-2002).]

Anchorage to Barrow or the North Slope when Denali is "out".

ditto what 0524 said and I'll raise you an alitak-adq on a nice day http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

lala

Flyaway you have a good point. The approach into Geneva over the lake on a beautiful summer day can be quite beautiful.

Seat 2A there was a very interesting show on TV about the train trip from Arica to La Paz.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by lalala:
I'll raise you an alitak-adq on a nice day http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

I'll see your alitak-ADQ and raise you a JNU-SIT on a rare sunny day! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

Flying one of those litle planes just over the mountain top from LA to Palm Springs.
Especially nice with snow covered mountains.

Flying over the Grand Canyon on NY to LA.

Approach to LGA (LaGuardia) directly over New York City. Especially cool at night.

Dan

Just flew Alaska #65 yesterday, the milk run from Seattle to Anchorage. Stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg and Juneau enroute. On a beautiful, clear day (which it was yesterday) the views on the Wrangell-Petersburg flight are absolutely the most beautiful I have EVER seen. We flew at about 500 feet over the top of a river and followed it until we got to Petersburg, A 12 min. flt. Amazing!

Finding out the earth really is round when on board BA1...

VIE/KLU

recent trip ORD-HKG, headed over Canada, Hudson Bay, Northwest Territories, the Arctic Ocean, North Pole, Siberia, Mongolia, China. You could see everything clearly, no clouds, daylight almost the entire trip.

Incredible.

The view of the southern tip of Greenland out the window on some trans-Atlantic flights is beautiful.

Nothing like near home. One of the most impressive was while Mount St. Helens was still erupting. I believe it was a Western Airlines flight where the captain tipped the plane so that we could get a great view of the erupting mountain and the devastation on one of the few clear days we get. This was just after they cleared flights to fly within sight of the mountain. Will never forget it.

I'd have to say:

Over the Pole -- CO 99 from EWR to HKG. Wonderful trip over mountains of snow as far as the eye can see with clear skies... and an incredible feeling that you are truly thousands of miles from civilization.

The trip on the backside over Russia and Mongolia is interesting as well. The route defies the logic of how we travel around the globe.

Other favorites include:

* Pappeete to Bora Bora on Air Tahiti
* Santiago to Puerto Montt to Purto Arenas on Ladeco / Lan Chile.
* Santiago to Arica along the Chile Coast.
Transpacific flights over Alaska
* Most InterIsland Hawaii Flights
* Auckland NZ to Christ Church NZ on Air New Zealand
* Sydney AU to Alice Springs AU -- Interesting flight over the desert... Like flying from New York To Denver without seeing any civilization....

Flying from Jomosom to Pokhara in Nepal. Jomosom, at 8900ft, was the end of our trek. There's a STOL airstrip there, but you can only fly out in the mornings, before the afternoon wind whips up the valley at 30 to 40 knots. (We had faced these winds the previous afternoon as we walked to Jomosom.)

This short flight winds along the Kali Gandaki river valley, and you feel like you could reach out and touch the sides of the valley - it's exhilarating.

The river flows between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, 3-1/2 miles below their summits, making it the deepest valley on earth!

Caracas to Canaima, Venezuela. If you are real lucky (which we were)Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, won't be hidden by the clouds. Have lots of pictures and the pilot flew back a couple of times so each side got spectacular views.

The most scenic trip I ever took was a puddlejumper (6 or 8 person TINY plane) from Molokai to Honolulu.

On the aproach to HNL we hit air currents and the tiny ship was tossed. A couple of "heavy" guys moved seats and the plane lurched. As we hurtled straight down (maybe I colored this a bit...), I thought to myself, "What a beautiful city to crash into...". Luckily the pilot pulled the nose up and we bounced onto the tarmac. A very wild ride!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Lavarock7:
As we hurtled straight down (maybe I colored this a bit...), I thought to myself, "What a beautiful city to crash into..."</font>

That's a true optimist if I ever heard one http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by LLZ (edited 03-17-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Rudi:
most scenic: worldwide many.

From my homeland (Switzerland): Zürich (Switzerland) - Milano (Northern Italy) over the Alps!</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; A shorter version, if I may please suggest!? Crossair Saab 2000 from Zurich to Lugano, fantastic approach over Locarno(beloved!) and then into Lugano.

We won't mention la bella signorina-flight attendant and unlimited sandwhiches, Swiss chocolates, orange juice, and champagne.
Go Crossair!


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Michael
AA PLT,1 MLN Miles+
HH GLD, SCI GLD, MM SIL
LE PRESIDENT ETERNEL DE CAMAIR-CAMEROUN AIRLINES :)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by airoli:
Same view, but more spectacular approach: Zürich (Switzerland ) - Lugano-Agno (Switzerland), in a Crossair Saab turboprop. Sometimes available for $60 from ZRH, visit to my relatives included.... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; Gruezi! We think alike. Sorry to steal, I hadn't seen this post yet. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ciao

It's hard to forget the approach into Lihue Airport on Kuaui, Hawaii, when you fly near the mountain on the way on in, sorry, I can't remember which direction it is, but it's an incredible approach depending on how it's flown, or, it used to be many years ago.

Ok, this is a wonderful post, thank you for sharing.

Let me share a few, if I may. Like I had said, the Zurich to Lugano flight was incredible. We go to Locarno every year and to see bella Locarno from the air was awesome.

The landing at the old Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, right hand side, at night. I have never been so touched by anything like it. Though HK itself touches me http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. I applauded!

Flying SAA 747-300 First from FRA to Jo'burg. My first time over the African Continent, we flew right over Tripoli, Libya, at night. AHHHHHH, incredible! We could easily run from one side of the plane to the other, loved it. Still think about it. Could see Khadafi's palace.

My first time into Sydney, right hand side, told rare approach, right along the city with the Harbour Bridge all lit up. WOW!

Aer Lingus into Shannon, Ireland. Beautiful!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Worldtraveler36:
&gt;&gt;&gt; Gruezi! We think alike. Sorry to steal, I hadn't seen this post yet. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ciao
</font>

Non fa niente... Glad to see it isn't my patriotism clouding my judgement!


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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line.

Two flights come to mind immediately:

Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires: BA 744 and numerous times on LA. Incredible views of the Andes.

Calgary, Alta to Vancouver: Great views of the Canadian Rockies. CP 737 and AC A320.

This is a great topic...

SJC-SBA in an EMB turboprop, low and utterly gorgeous views of the California coast and Big Sur area.

My favorite is Cape Air on a Cessna 402 from Boston to Provincetown (and back). The right hand seat was open on both flights I took and I made sure I got it.

Loved the sign that said "Do not touch instruments."

What a flight ... what a view ...

I agree with Water Polo Ref here. I used to do PVC-BOS and then BOS-SFO every Monday. Two glorious flights. Especially the last hour into SFO over Mono lake and the beautiful Sierra mountains.

Also, YVR to ORD. First hour over the Cascades.

[This message has been edited by fastflyer (edited 04-15-2002).]

As several people mentioned before:

Approaching SFO via Point Reyes, Golden Gate Bridge, SF Bay and Redwood Shores on crisp and clear day.
Especially awesome when sitting in the cockpit jump seat on a 747-400 from Europe (happened once. I am still in awe...)

Also flying in Finland over the lakes in a 16 seater plane on a clear summer day. IIRC it was from Savonlinna to Jyveskulaee.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by airoli:
Non fa niente... Glad to see it isn't my patriotism clouding my judgement!


</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Mille Grazie. I wouldn't know, I have a BIG passion for Switzerland, so I have a bias as well...

One more to add, con permiso por favor.
America West 747 over the Grand Canyon. Right over it!!! awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Just two days ago I flew a Pionair DC-3 from Te Anau to Mt. Cook, New Zealand via Milford Sound.

This certainly ranks amongst the most scenic flights I've EVER been on, quite possibly the most scenic! Amazing... We must've flown within 200 feet of the very top of Mt. Aspiring. Best $37.00 I've ever spent on a ticket!

ANC-SEA is indeed beautiful, seeing the glacier's bigger than the state of Rhode Island, etc...

On a FRA-HKG flight, sunrise over the Himalaya's was absolutely gorgeous...

Flying into PDX on a private jet and being able to see Mt. Hood approach through the cockpit windows...

The Grand Canyon sightseeing flights aren't bad, either.

Trip from Houston to Alaska. See photos
[img]http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?UV=142953746177_22168456303&US=0&collid=7838598603&photoid=7068598603[img]

Alfred--

Try again
http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?UV=142953746177_22168456303&US=0&collid=7838598603&photoid=7068598603

This might not be the most scenic, but still awesome:

All overnight eastbound transatlantic flights to Europe.

I love eating breakfast while watching the sunrise over the slight curvature of the earth. Simply beautiful.

Mt. Everest at dusk from NRT-DEL . The most spectacular sight I've seen in my life !

Morning flight from SEZ (Mahe, Seychelles) to PRI (Praslin, Seychelles) in a Twin Otter!

There are several, but the most memorable have been Twin Otter flights from Lima to Huaraz, Peru - low and slow across the Andes! The sight of Nevado Huascaran (2nd highest peak in the Andes)looming in front of you is awe inspiring.

The other may be flying in and out of Ketchican, Alaska by helo when working in southeast Alaska years ago. Hopping island to island by helicopter was great.

Flying into Sydney over the Harbour looks great at any time of the day.

What a fun topic! I hope to see some of these great places someday. My three favorites (keeping in mind I'm not as well traveled as many of you)

- The old airport in HKG.

- Flying in a small prop plane just about anywhere in AK. (ERA Aviation, Frontier Flying Services and Bering Air as examples.)

- Flying a small Garuda Indonesia Fokker prop plane between Bali and Mataram.

KUL-Tioman Island on Embraer turboprop. Beautiful approach over a lagoon, landing in the middle of the rainforest http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by francophile:
This might not be the most scenic, but still awesome:

All overnight eastbound transatlantic flights to Europe.

I love eating breakfast while watching the sunrise over the slight curvature of the earth. Simply beautiful.</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; Ah, but monsieur, do not forget the northern lights...

My favorite seat on a plane is the window because for sure looking down at this planet can be some true entertainment. I always am looking for views that would be worthy of the old SwissAir calendars
I have been blessed to have seen many of the sights that others have posted and have missed a few and will put them on my agenda for the future.
Others have posted about crossing Greenland when it is clear - winter time - but the words that truely in my mind describe it best are from JohnA a deceased member of FT who has a Trip Report forum named after him at another bb. Not being as descriptive a writer as John I'm posting his words. <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JohnA:
"It was a (rare!) clear day and the sight was spectacular. If you've ever flown above a glacier, you know they're a "river of ice"...and think river, not ice (you can even see the "current.") …… We were above Baffin Bay, and could see where the glaciers had calved off into icebergs, maybe 20 or so, all waiting to head south and aim for the Titanic! ……..- in around a million miles of flying, it was one of the most spectacular sights I'd ever seen!</font>Thank you John that was it exactly.

[This message has been edited by magic111 (edited 03-23-2002).]

There is a 20 minute short hop low altitude flight from Vancouver British Columbia to Victoria over the Gulf Islands. On a sunny day, a treat for the eyes.

Charter flights in Alaska, typically for $1/minute when sharing with others. Spectacular runs: up glacier valleys in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (out of McCarthy), from Valdez to Cordova over rugged mountains and Prince William Sound with open side window for best photos. Wow!

OK Alaska people. I have a stupid question, but this post makes me think I might actually get an answer. I have been to Alaska. Flew commercial via Anchorage to Fairbanks. The flight along the coast of BC, right hand side was incredible. Coming back:Anchorage-Sitka-Juneau(wow!)-Ketchikan-Seattle, all incredible, and one of my most memorable! Alaska Airlines 727-200's all the way, free DBC.

A friend of ours(from Fairbanks) took us up in his private plane to Chena Hot Springs, then up to Fort Yukon. (north of the arctic circle-incredible!) It wasn't just the view, but it was the feeling, of being NEARLY at the top of the world.

Now, has anyone flown up to the top of Alaska, like Barrow(something which I had wanted to do, but couldn't-on another trip)??? I am curious if you are flying north, and then see the Arctic Sea.

What is it like? and does it give you goose bumps all over? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif That, to me, would be so incredible... thank you!

I will say that flying CO 98 from EWR to HKG non-stop is pretty spectacular. You go withing 150 miles of the pole, then over the sea, then over Siberia with its endless forests, next over Mongolia, and finally down thru the heart of China, inland past all the main cites, and into HKG.

Here's a gorgeous one; don't know if it's "world class" but it's definitely compelling! --

Departing southbound out of RNO late winter afternoon, climbing high enough to clear Mt. Rose before starting the turn to the west. As you are in the turn and topping the mountain, seeing Lake Tahoe come into view, with the snow-covered mountains below and the lake ringed with snow and trees. Then heading for SFO and seeing to the north volcanic Mt. Lassen startingly white and pointed, and seeing the glint off of the rivers that flow out of the Sierra and into the Sacramento Valley. Finally, making a long left turn at the coast, passing the Golden Gate bridge on the left, lit up in the fading sun and then overflying SFO as you set up for the u-turn approach to landing. A very nice 39 minutes of flying.

I'd have to say from Chengdu to Lhasa On China Southwest. The Himalayas looked so beautiful in the early morning sun.

Flying the approach into the OLD Hong Kong airport ... especially upstairs in a 747-200!

Call my biased but I love to arrive into YVR from the northwestern Pacific in the morning. Start your descent over the breaker-swept rugged and rocky shores of Vancouver Island, continuing over the mountains of the island, then over the Gulf Islands and the Georgia Strait into YVR catching the snow-covered Coast and Tantulus mountains.

Maybe it's nicer because it's in the descent phase than flying over the Canadian Rockies or European Alps.

Get to do SEA-JNU-SIT-KTN-SEA this weekend so I'll tell you how it compares, weather-permitting.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Me said:
Same view, but more spectacular approach: Zürich (Switzerland ) - Lugano-Agno (Switzerland), in a Crossair Saab turboprop. Sometimes available for $60 from ZRH, visit to my relatives included.... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

Like this weekend (SWISS web special). Weather forecast is good, spring's here, let's enjoy the scenery! (I wonder if SWISS will provide the same excellent service on this 20min hop as Crossair did [one word: champagne!].)


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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line.

Vulcan -

The spectacle for me on CO 99 (98 is actually HKG-EWR, the other way around on a typical great-circle route) occurs after the flight... looking at [more] of my hair sitting at the bottom of the shower drain from the galactic radiation on that polar route... 6 chest x-rays a pop!

Pop those antioxidant and iodine supplements, bro.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by airoli:
Like this weekend (SWISS web special). Weather forecast is good, spring's here, let's enjoy the scenery! (I wonder if SWISS will provide the same excellent service on this 20min hop as Crossair did [one word: champagne!].)


</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; Done in a proper Swiss manner http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif :
Bon Voyage, Gute Reise, $ Buon Viaggio !
-and bring me back some of those good chocolates from the plane, prego...

Worldtraveler, only at the lounge yet but I'll see what I can do.

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airOli (http://www.olimade.com/airoli), the Swiss Air Line.

Hearty hear, hears for:

1) the SFO approach from Point Reyes in over the bridge
2) approach into SYD watching the harbor
3) approach into old Hong Kong airport
4) approach to LGA over Manhattan

Most of my favorite scenic routes are approaches I guess. Another I really like is coming up the Thames (pre 9/11) from the East on a clear day before cutting south a bit and then turning west for LHR. Tower Bridge all the way to the Albert Bridge.

Some in-flight scenic bits I have enjoyed are:
1) Cheekily raising the shade when flying NRT-LHR/FRA to look at the wild expanses of the frozen tundra of Russia.
2) A recent trip up the San Joaquin Valley on LAX-NRT that put us over Tahoe from the East side and on into Oregon (major weather over SFO I guess). The mountains and lake are truly spectacular from that perspective.

Mike

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by airoli:
Worldtraveler, only at the lounge yet but I'll see what I can do.

</font>

&gt;&gt;&gt; http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif danke mein herr!

I Love flying--I REALLY LOVE flying. I am a window person and never even begin to tire of gazing out upon my earth from above. Despite the fact that I typically fly several times week, I am as excited every time I look out the window as I was the first time. I often gasp, mesmerized at the astounding beauty of the earth viewed from the sky above.

My most astounding individual memory is flying from ANC to SEA via AS in the early 90's. It was a crystal clear day and our pilot (an obvious history buff) flew way out over the glaciers and gave us an hour and one-half monolog (history lesson) of Alaska. I was so excited I could barely breath. What an amazing experience.

For over a decade now I have flown regularly SEA/ANC/SEA, always in a starboard window seat heading north and a port window seat heading south, praying for a repeat of this take-your-breath-away experience. It has never been repeated but I will keep looking, and hoping for a rerun just one more time before I die.

In the interim, I know that there is no more diverse beauty on earth than that I view every Wednesday on my little 35 minute flight that (on a very clear day) encompasses Mts. Baker, Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, Hood, Bachelor and the Three Sisters. How very lucky I am. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

1. Landing Kai Tak HKG in the early evening - memorable! SFO-HKG.

2. JFK-NRT passing over Barrow Alaska - great views all the way from Hudson Bay to Siberia. This was on the day of the Winter Solstice, and since we went into the Arctic Circle and bit, we saw the sun set due south. A long twilight. Then the sun rose from due south.

3. Lightning storms over SIN during departure.

4. Aurora Borealis, NRT-JFK and JFK-FRA.

5. A pair of volcanoes while we were off Japan's coast. Smoking island volcano to the right, dormant Mt. Fuji to the left. SIN-NRT.

6. The lights of Manhattan, right after takeoff, JFK-YVR.

7. Quick sunrise over the brilliant reds of the Australian outback. SIN-SYD/BNE.

8. Commonly seen but underappreciated: the Rocky Mountains rising from the plains, the lights of Chicago from 35,000 feet, the massive dikes of Holland after takeoff LHR-SIN.

9. LAS-SFO: Lake Tahoe after takeoff then a San Francisco landing on a foggy morning, with just the caps of a couple of buildings and the Golden Gate bridge visible.

10. The lights of Iran, Pakistan and India at night, with the black, unlit mass of Afghanistan in the middle. LHR-SIN.


[ed. for typos]

[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 04-12-2002).]

It's already been mentioned several times but I really do love the ANC-SEA run. Especially in winter when it's clear out. The Chugach mtn range is awesome. So are Mt. St. Elias and Fairweather on the AK panhandle. I also love the prop job flights SEA-PDX. You get some great views of Rainier and St. Helens and Mt. Hood. SNA/LAX to SEA is also pretty. You get great views of El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite as well as Crater Lake and the above mentioned Cascade Peaks.

One of my favorite trips though was on DL flying into LGA. The plane was 2/3 empty and we flew right over Manhattan (north to south). Had great views of the GW Bridge, Central Park and mid-town as well as the Statue of Liberty. We went from one side of the plane to the other looking at NYC. Even the FA's were looking.

Also, on a recent SEA-LAS trip the pilot took us within 1/2 mile of Rainier at about 15,000 feet. I would swear we were closer, you could see the volcano crater and Tahoma Glacier and all the crevasses with there blue tint. Truly amazing. To boot the landing at LAS was the smoothest I've ever encountered on a commercial airplane.

[This message has been edited by toadman (edited 04-08-2002).]

While flying from Nairobi to Masai Mara area of Kenya may not be the most scenic flight--it was the most memorable of all landings. Prop plane landed on a narrow-paved strip. The moment we de-planed, we were greeted by a family of giraffes. Most scenic: the hot-air balloon ride at dawn.

I don't have the worldwide exposure that most of you have here, but my most memorable scenic moment was on a Southwest Airlines flight on takeoff from SMF near sunrise. As the plane was climbing, I looked out my window and saw the sun's rays just starting their glimmer on Lake Tahoe. What a beautiful sight!

One time a few years back, I took a BOS-LGA shuttle. I was sitting on the right side of the plane. For some reason (never seen that again, and I've been in many, many, many, shuttle flights) for final approach the plane flew southbound over the east river from the Bronx, made a right towards NJ at the base of Battery Park, turned right and northwards over the Hudson, and then made a final right across Manhattan over Columbia University. Since I was on the window right side, I got an incredible aerial tour of Manhattan. It was one of those crisp clear fall days, and it was great. Ever since, I take a window on the right side of the plane, but I've never seen it done again...

Do most of the nonstop flights NYC/EWR- SIN/HKG/BKK travel over extreme northern Canada & Arctic regions (i.e., heading almost due north)?? This seems to be the shortest great circle route... Fascinating stuff... I wonder if it's at all scenic, in one direction or the other?

SQ's SIN-EWR heads up past Japan, across Alaska and northern Canada and south to EWR. EWR-SIN either heads across the Atlantic and over europe and asia (much of the year I understand), or directly north over the north pole (as for the inaugural flight) coming down over Siberia and Mongolia.

flying out of philadelphia on us air to la guardia at twighlight going up the jersey shore and then over manhattan and skyline views and landing.. incredible and better than any excursion i have ever made in years of foreign travel.

Nairobi, Kenya to Dzaoudzi, Mayotte - right over Mount Kilimanjaro and then arrival in Dzaoudzi over the biggest lagoon in the world...
Mauritius to Saint Pierre, Reunion, arrival over Piton de la Fournaise, active volcano and the Air Austral local pilots dip the plane both sides so that everybody gets a great view.

Approach to LIS rwy03, anytime of day or night. The view over the (whole) city and over the Tagus’ estuary is breathtaking.

HKG to Europe during the day. View over the Himalayas is spectacular.

One of my favorites is the landing on the DEL IXL segment that I've made countless times into Leh, Ladakh, India. As you approach, the plane starts making these tight banked turns through the surrounding snowcapped Himalaya and your wings feel like they are going to tap the mountainsides. You drop into the valley quickly and land, then every time, the passengers clap for the pilot.

My second was on the NAN NRT flight. Both the takeoff and looking over all the islands, then the landing into Narita at dusk.

A classic is always flying over the Manhattan skyline, feels like home!

I've seen a lot of scenery over the years from altitude, but nothing compares to the sight of Iguazu Falls from a 757 doing "acrobatics" at 2000 feet above!

Nine years ago United booked my family and I on a CONNECTION from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú on LAPA (Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas), a now defunct carrier that had an alliance with United in Argentina at the time... Some Connection! we arrived from Miami to the main airport, EZE (Ministro Pistarini Airport/Ezeiza) to find that we had to get to the domestic airport, Jorge Newbery, for the LAPA flight (even though the paper tix stated EZE as the departure airport!)... It was like making a connection between LHR and LGW... The check-in and boarding procedures were surreal... Everything was very formal with pax herded into a penned-in waiting area until the gates opening to the tarmac were opened and we followed as the herd run in a giant cluster-ef to the two aircraft boarding stairs in order to get an open seat since the plane was oversold and it was open seating only on the one-class aircraft. The plane itself was magnificent from the outside... It was a B757-200 about a year old. Inside was another matter... Even though the plane was relatively new, there was no overhead baggage storage, only a flat, lipped open sided shelf. The FA's announced that nothing was allowed to be in the overhead rack, even clothing. Upon takeoff my tray table fell down and I then noticed that most of the trays were secured by grey duct tape. I ripped a piece of excess tape off of my daughter's tray to apply to my own. Smoking started within 5 minutes of lift-off and a short while later a gorgeous silver cart appeared from the haze and two beautiful FA's began serving room temp Coca Cola from 2 liter bottles into various sized plastic cups. The pilot was obviously and righteously proud of the beauty of Argentina and kept up a running commentary in Spanish, mixed with "Spanglish" about the sights seen as we flew to the airport located on the Argentine side a few miles from the Brazilian border.

As we approached Iguazú Falls, (as you know, Foz do Iguaçu in Brazilian Portuguese, and Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish), the pilot dropped to about 2000 ft. in altitude and began making a few tight figure 8's IN THAT 757 over the Falls, excitedly commenting on the beauty of Iguazú and that pax "shouldn't worry, everyone would get to see the view" as he put the plane through some heart-stopping acrobatics while also commenting that he didn't have clearance to fly over Brazil or Paraguay, so "he'd be turning sharply!" As an old Jet-Jockey myself, I kinda enjoyed it. Our return flight a couple days later to Buenos Aires was in a B737-200 and was a little less adventurous.

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1. Kathmandu to Lhasa on China Air - great view of Everest on left hand side.

2. Kathmandu to Paro, Bhutan on Druk Air.

3. Calcutta to Paro, Bhutan on Druk Air left hand side.

4. Paro, Bhutan to Gaya, India on Druk Air( on to BKK) right hand side.

5. Everest scenic flight from Kathmandu.

6. Discontinued Thai Air nonstop JFK - BKK over the pole.

Any flight GVA to Italy and back, especially on a clear day. The flight path goes straight over the Alps. I've had the pilot point out Mont Blanc several times to me.

What a great thread!

I must now amend my Must See list to include some new routes.

KTM to BKK Himalayas, AMAZING!!..yes, it's been mentioned but I just wanted to add to go for an early morning flight if possible. The clouds tend to roll in later in the day. My friends, who took a later flight, missed it completely.

1 Arriving at LAX - I grew up in LA, but lived in other cities for many years. I always sit in a window on the right side of the plane and as we decend I can see downtown, then Hollywood, Century City and Westwood, all with the hills in the backdrop. Always lets me know I am home

2 - ORD-LGA - While the flight itself is awful, I did it many times, and I love when we take the approach that has us basically flying past the statue of liberty and up the hudson river, especially if you are landing in the early evening

3 - JFK-CDG - most scenic from a people-watching standpoint

I have 4 favorites:

1. Mt Everest and the Himalayas out of Kathmandu. Fabulous.

2. Greenland on a clear day.

3. Old DC3 with panoramic windows viewing Angel Falls and the tepuis in Venezuela.

4. Following the Aleutians on a flight from SFO to HKK - also a clear day in November. All the times we had flown to Asia and this was the first time we had this treat.

Does a small plane fly by count? In which case, we loved Mt Cook, New Zealand and Mt McKinley.

I recall an early-morning MEL-SYD flight with particularly stunning views of the harbour, a YYZ-YVR segment above the rockies in all their magnificence, and a daylight AMS-JNB flight from the upper deck, watching a succession of amazingly varied landscapes as two continents unfurled down below...

I needed to get from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires one way once and found a great $400 fare on Air France in First Class.

The flight left around noon so as we sipped great French champers and ate a wonderful meal, we got spectacular views out of Andes for most of the trip.

I will never forget that flight for the rest of my life.

I'm sure that it's equally lovely on LAN in economy class but the nice drinks didn't hurt!

One of my favorites is the landing on the DEL IXL segment that I've made countless times into Leh, Ladakh, India. As you approach, the plane starts making these tight banked turns through the surrounding snowcapped Himalaya and your wings feel like they are going to tap the mountainsides. You drop into the valley quickly and land, then every time, the passengers clap for the pilot.

My second was on the NAN NRT flight. Both the takeoff and looking over all the islands, then the landing into Narita at dusk.

A classic is always flying over the Manhattan skyline, feels like home!

Ohhh yeah. I forgot about that flight. I did DEL-IXL a few years back and it was incredible. Even the actual landing where you fly into the valley and do a 180 turn - over the town at a very low altitude. Incredible experience - definitely the most scenic flight I have taken (out of my 500 or so flights around the world).

Munich to Verona on an ATR on an cloudless day in November 2007 with spectacular views of the Alps - unforgetable

For me the tow most scenic flights was:

N°1: CDG-JFK with Concorde
N°2: CDG-ORD the plan had overflight the extreme south of greenland incredible

Take-off on an ATR from Calvi, Corsica to Nice sitting on the left side is spectacular.

Also landing in Valetta, Malta flying over Gozo and Camino.

XXX-EZE: Landing in EZE at night coming from the north (always seating on the right side of the plane) Spectacular view of Buenos Aires.

SDU-XXX: Santos Dumond offers a fantastic view of Rio de Janeiro (always seating on the right side of the plane). Sometimes you fly over Leme-Copacabana-Arpoador-Ipanema-Leblon-Sao Conrado-Barra da Tijuca.

Approaches:

XXX-LGA

XXX-CDG

XXX-LCY

XXX-HKT