toxicologist

Nothing that hasn't already been said, but,

DCA, the river approach, is my favorite. First time I flew in as a kid and banking along the river was great in and of itself. We were on the left side of the plane and it was night so all the monuments were lit up...awesome

Loose Cannon

LGB or SNA especially if you are on the "A" side on a clear day. On a clear night the lights can be quite a sight.

LAX either side

BUR and ONT also have great approaches

SAN has a great view from the "A" side

SJC has good views of San Francisco on the "A" side when coming from the north depending on the approach pattern

SFO and OAK views are usually better on takeoff

Great views of the Strip when approaching LAS if you are on the "F" side (usually)

Views of the Gateway Arch on the "A" side when landing at STL from the east

Good views of Milwaukee from the "F" side when the landing pattern is north to south at MKE

Great views of downtown Cleveland from the "F" side when landing northeast to southwest at CLE

Great views of Pittsburgh from the "F" side when landing east to west at PIT

Great views of Philadelphia from the "F" side when landing from the north to the south at PHL

There can be good views of downtown Baltimore depending on the approach pattern at BWI

When on final approach to DCA if you are on the "F" side the view is great if the landing is from east to west

moondog

-DCA doesn't have any E/W runways.
-The "Potomac Approach" comes down from the north; you want to be on the left side of the plane if you fancy seeing the mall.

slawecki

i thought you wanted to know where to see planes landing while you stood in front of them. again dca is fabulous. gravely point is within a couple hundred meters of the end of the runway, and there is a nice turn on the way for the landing to the south.

dtokuda

PTY is a great approach depending on the weather, typically left side is better but the approach seems to vary. I'm partial to ORD since I live here. But hands down, the most spectacular one I've seen is SDU. Smaller Rio airport, nestled right up against downtown, gorgeous view of Sugarloaf/Ipanema/Christ on either side and takeoff or landing.

Rhyick

I think the best approach I have seen is IST, though some of it was due to the timing (around sunset). We circled around the city, and you could see all of the bridges on the Bosphorus and the mosque towers shining in the sun. Beautiful!

MFLetou

I agree with DCA, but I'm a little surprised there isn't a single mention of Boston. There's nothing better than landing at BOS on a sunny morning. 4 R and L approaches are nice, you're landing parallel to the city. The sun is gleaming off of the Hancock Building and the water in Boston Harbor is sparkling blue.

travelinmanS

My favorites are:

SFO - Landing from the North you get a great view of the entire bay and all the bridges. Taking off heading to Asia or Hawaii you get a similar view...beautiful.

LAX - Landing from the North, circling over Dodger Stadium, the Coliseum and views of the Hollywood sign.

PVG - On rare clear days if you come in from the north, generally on flights from PEK, you'll often pass over the entire city of Shanghai if you're on the right side of the plane you get a great view of all the huge skyscrapers before turning right to land at PVG.

SYD - Beautiful views of the harbor on either landing or takeoff depending on the runway used.

LHR - Great views of the city, the bridges and the river on landing.

GVA - Just because I love looking at the mountains.

HKG - Sometimes you get to fly over the entire city on approach which is very cool, othertimes you get to fly over Macau as you line up for landing which is also neat to see at night.

kaszeta

Having just experienced this one, it's still a rather nice approach even with just the cabin view. Fjords, sharp cliffs, short runway. Fun all around.

farci

Sogndal (SOG) in western Norway is beautiful on approach and departure.

Added spice to this location is provided by a short runway which drops into the valley at both ends, on a ledge 500m up the side of a mountain. It can only accommodate small commercial aircraft which resulted in this passenger and a colleague, both of ample proportions, being instructed by the pilot to sit in separate assigned seats to aid balance on a winter morning's service.

which demonstrates what a unique place this is

lhrsfo

I would highly rate sitting on the right as you land at ISC (I do realise you may not get a choice of where you sit but you might be able to choose which side). Of course the whole approach to the Islands from the mainland is spectacular, but, on the right, you get a great view of Tresco and Bryher in the distance and then, on final approach, St. Mary's. If it's already there, you will see the Scillonian unloading and you can thank Heavens that you chose to fly rather than take the absurdly unpleasant crossing.

Journey.ca

Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport might has the best view upon approach/landing. You land right in front of the CBD.

savonarola

SDU can't be beaten for me. It is not unusual for the planes to fly right by the Sugar Loaf and the Corcovado, plus they land literally over the Guanabara bay. Tourists pay for helicopter rides to get such scenic views.

YVR Cockroach

Isn't RNO's main runway N-S? Don't think I ever had a flight that approached/janded from the south, always from the north.

My erstwhile homeport of YVR is nice but only, it seems, if the flights come in from the north and not from the south.

eigenvector

Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC). Fantastic view of the Teton Range just a few miles away.

Pangnirtung, Nunavut (YXP) or any airport airport located in a narrow fjord. If the winds aren't favourable - you aren't landing!