Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - HKG-Delhi route - Himalaya views

I'll be traveling on CX 753 from HKG to Delhi later this month. Does someone know what the best side of the plane would be for optimum views of the Himalayas on that route?

It will be too dark on your HKG-DEL flight to see anything. On the other hand when you travel from DEL to HKG sit on the port(left) side of the airplane and you will see distant white peaks that look like they are in the sky (average ht. of the higher himalayas is over 22,000 feet with hundreds of peaks over 25,000 feet).

Hope that helps.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by norshor1:
I'll be traveling on CX 753 from HKG to Delhi later this month. Does someone know what the best side of the plane would be for optimum views of the Himalayas on that route?</font>

When are you traveling? So am I.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by panjabi:
It will be too dark on your HKG-DEL flight to see anything. On the other hand when you travel from DEL to HKG sit on the port(left) side of the airplane and you will see distant white peaks that look like they are in the sky (average ht. of the higher himalayas is over 22,000 feet with hundreds of peaks over 25,000 feet). </font>

Why will it be too dark? The flights are now day flights in both directions. HKG-DEL 09:35-13:20. DEL-HKG 14:35-22:00.

You raise a good question regarding seats. When flying to DEL which side is better? When flying from DEL which side is better?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by AA EXP DFW-LON:
Why will it be too dark? The flights are now day flights in both directions. HKG-DEL 09:35-13:20. DEL-HKG 14:35-22:00.

You raise a good question regarding seats. When flying to DEL which side is better? When flying from DEL which side is better?</font>

I'll be flying HKG-DEL on 15 December,
B Class. As you indicated, it is a day flight in both directions. If planes flew in straight lines, it would seem obvious which side would have the best mountain views, but with "great circle" routing and national borders being a consideration, I wasn't sure what route we would follow.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by norshor1:
I'll be flying HKG-DEL on 15 December,
B Class. As you indicated, it is a day flight in both directions. If planes flew in straight lines, it would seem obvious which side would have the best mountain views, but with "great circle" routing and national borders being a consideration, I wasn't sure what route we would follow.

</font>


You'll beat me by 2.5 weeks. Let me know which side is better!

Like panjabi says, the mountain will be on your left flying DEL-HKG; so they will be on your right flying HKG-DEL.

It is indeed refreshing to read that others enjoy the views through the window instead of only in the cabin! I try to pick flight times to fit with what I want to look out at. I also try to select the shady side of the aircraft too. It is one of the special times in life to have enjoyed a nice wine and gaze at the passing scenery.

when i did this route on a seriously delayed UA flight yonks ago, heading to HKG, the view of Everest was on the left hand side - the captain made an announcement, but there was of course no handy signage at that altitude, so you do have to guess which pointy bit of snow he was referring to !

I was on JL from NRT-DEL and the view of Everest was amazing in the twilight hours. I would recommend taking the flight just to see this amazing sight !

I just did DEL-HKG last week (departure at 07.40) and was fortunate to be seated portside (A) with a great view of Himalayan peaks. The airshow map marked Everest just to the left of us and there was a distinctive peak there, which I took a pic of and will always think I have seen Everest, even though I cannot be sure that it was!
Great views of mountainous valleys over Burma too, but oddly, our original flight track was right over Hanoi, but just before we crossed over Vietnam, we made a very distinct turn north and flew right over Kunming before turning south again towards HKG, thus avoiding Vietnamese airspace completely. No idea why.
Happy Travels.

Slightly off topic, but if you want really stunning Himalaya views try flying into KTM (Kathmandu) from the east. I did it on a Biman Bangladesh flight and while the plane and service were awful, the scenery was stunning and it was very easy to work which white peak was Everest!