SEA to ICN: which side of the plane should you sit on?
Seattle (SEA) to Seoul (ICN) is a 8,373 km (5,203 mi), roughly 10h 21m westbound flight. Here is where the sun sits along that path, computed with the same astronomy as our live calculator.
On most daytime SEA to ICN departures the sun favors the left side — sit on the right (a window on the right) for shade.
Sun side by season and departure time
| Season | Morning (8 am) | Midday (1 pm) | Evening (6 pm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | Left | Left | Left |
| June solstice | Both | Left | Right |
| September equinox | Left | Left | Left |
| December solstice | Left | Left | Night |
What you’ll see on this flight
The right side wins on both views and shade.
Sit on the right for this westbound flight. That side gets the stronger view and the shade, so you do not have to choose between scenery and glare.
Takeoff
After departure from SEA, the first good look is on the right. Seattle sits briefly almost under you, and Lake Washington follows soon after, depending on the runway in use.
En route
- 26m inRight →Vancouver Island
About half an hour in, you can pick out Vancouver Island on the right as a long, dark landmass in the distance.
- 1h 08m inRight →Haida Gwaii
Not long after that, Haida Gwaii stays on the right. It reads as a scattered island chain rather than a single shape.
- 6h 14m inRight →Shiveluch
Around six hours in, Shiveluch comes up on the right as a volcano outline far below your line of travel.
- 6h 19m inRight →Klyuchevskaya Sopka
Just after that, Klyuchevskaya Sopka also sits on the right, another volcanic peak in the same stretch of the route.
- 9h 24m inRight →Vladivostok
Near the end of cruise, Vladivostok is on the right as a compact city shape before descent begins.
Landing
On descent into ICN, the left side takes over. The Korean Peninsula and Seoul come into view there, and Ganghwa Island appears on the right near touchdown, depending on the runway in use.
Sides and timings are computed from this route’s geometry. What you actually see depends on weather, air-traffic routing, and the runway in use on the day.
Frequently asked
Which side of the plane avoids the sun from SEA to ICN?
Across typical daytime departures, the sun predominantly hits the left side of the aircraft, so the right side stays shadier. Seat letters start at the left window, so choose the highest window letter (F on narrowbodies, K on many widebodies).
Which side has the sunset views on SEA to ICN flights?
For sunrise or sunset views, sit on the side the table marks as the sun side for your departure time — that is where the light is.
How long is the flight from SEA to ICN?
The great-circle distance is 8,373 km (5,203 mi), which works out to roughly 10h 21m in the air on this westbound routing. Winds and routing move the real block time around that estimate.
Does the date or departure time change the answer?
Yes — that is why the table shows both. The sun's path shifts with the season, and a morning departure can put the glare on the opposite side compared to an evening one. For a specific flight, the calculator samples the sun along the whole route for your exact date and time.
Which side of the plane has the best views from SEA to ICN?
The right side. It has the stronger views overall on this route, and it is also the shade side.
What do you see near landing into ICN?
The left side gets the Korean Peninsula, Seoul, and nearby Suwon and Seongnam. Ganghwa Island appears on the right near touchdown.