Originally Posted by
ATOBTTR
-LAX: I usually go with the right side because most of the time you're arriving and taking off to the West at LAX. When landing to the west, if you're on the right side of the aircraft, you get to see downtown LA and the San Gabriel Mountains. That said, over the nighttime hours at LAX, aircraft land to the east (coming in from over the ocean instead of coming in from over the land) and on occasion winds dictate landing to the east at LAX, though I've never experienced this.
For LAX, it's also not unusual to get a good view from either side. There are times when the approach takes you over LA from the North/West and then you make a 180-degree turn to join the approach path, so you'll get to see it from both sides. Interestingly, when I arrived home a couple of weeks ago from Europe, I was really surprised this was our approach given that we were basically coming in from the Northeast and should have just joined the regular approach somewhere over the San Bernardino Mountains. I grew up about 25 miles east of LAX and our house was not only under the approach path, but it was evidently one of those "on-ramps" where the planes would make a big u-turn to join the approach. It was cool to see them make the turn and I still look for our old house when I fly into LAX if we're making the same turn. I also recall the 110 or the 710 was a common turning spot based on my morning commutes to downtown LA. Used to see the Qantas flight in the mornings making its u-turn.
One of my favorites is flying into LHR. It always astounds me how the approach takes us over central London and I always get great photos. What a welcome to London!