5 Most Impressive U.S. Airport Final Approach Views

[COtoOC]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Landing at SNA from the east makes it look/feel like you're landing on the 405.

I worked right across MacArthur Blvd. from SNA for years, and I remember so many times on the 405 being buzzed by aircraft!

I give SNA the "best for takeoffs" though... if you enjoy being launched off the runway!

[COtoOC]

I agree LAX is the best! I always choose a seat flying in to take advantage of the views. SFO is fairly interesting, but I've never flown in near downtown. Mainly the bay views that are interesting.

I live in Denver and love DEN as an airport, but the views flying in are rather blah, especially if you're flying in from the east. I fly to LAX/SAN/PHX/SFO regularly, and when you come in from the southwest, at least you fly over the metro area and it's not bad, but planes don't fly near downtown. Flying out DEN to SFO typically is the best opportunity to fly over downtown, but you're alreadu up fairly high.

[The Chemist]

Originally Posted by giallo

I always like flying home to Vancouver. You get a great lay of the land when flying in. You also get a good idea of how many highrises there are spread throughout the region.

• Video Link

Yeah, Vancouver's good if you're lucky enough to land there on a day when approaches are from the east. If they're from the west, though, not so much.

[PhillyRising]

Always sit on the right if you are coming in to Philadelphia. If they are landing this way you get the city view. If landing is coming up the Delaware it doesn't matter which side you sit on, you don't see the city.

This is a plane coming in from the west...it flys over North Philly with Center City to the south...goes over in to South Jersey...makes a right and then another right to head into PHL. You get pretty much the whole view...right down to the Sports Complex on the final approach.

• Video Link

[initiald]

In the US my favorite was approaching Miami from the east.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

Always sit on the right if you are coming in to Philadelphia. If they are landing this way you get the city view. If landing is coming up the Delaware it doesn't matter which side you sit on, you don't see the city.

This is a plane coming in from the west...it flys over North Philly with Center City to the south...goes over in to South Jersey...makes a right and then another right to head into PHL. You get pretty much the whole view...right down to the Sports Complex on the final approach.

http://https://youtu.be/-uPMwQCmjVo

Wasn't able to open your link.

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Wasn't able to open your link.

Sorry. I had not posted a video on here in ages and forgot the way is different than just copying and pasting the embedded code.

I fixed it.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

Atlanta stands out as a city that was really impressive the first time I flew in. I came in from the NE going SW and I saw the entire length of the skyline from downtown to Buckhead. It was insane and something I wasn't expecting.

Agreed. These were taken last year:

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by COtoOC

I give SNA the "best for takeoffs" though... if you enjoy being launched off the runway!

I hate that takeoff. "Let's blast down the runway at full throttle and then cut the power once we enter Newport Beach city limits."

I was on a Southwest flight from SNA to PHX one night and one of the flight attendants came on the speaker right as the pilots cut the engines to say "Shhh! We gotta be quiet, we're flying over rich people!"

[dave8721]

Landing out of the East in Miami:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aircraft-worldwide-davep/39887567523

[Quixote]

Flying into LAX today would've been nice:


gregggentry / instagram

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Flying into LAX today would've been nice:


gregggentry / instagram

LA is so blessed as far as topography. Look at those mountains

[Buckeye Native 001]

January in Southern California was always one of my favorite times of year when I lived there. It's often rainy (which was amusing to this Midwesterner watching the locals freak out) but then the basin clears out and you have visibility for miles.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Flying into LAX today would've been nice:


gregggentry / instagram

^ That is hands-down the best angle to view DTLA. Love seeing it from that perspective while heading up the 110 north from the 105. Clear view of US Bank Tower (sorry - still the tallest IMO), Wilshire Grand and Aon Center. Would be great to see DTLA build out (in density and height) from west of the 110 (Koreatown East) to east of US Bank Tower (Arts District); I think it would essentially create the new default postcard shot of downtown.

[jd3189]

^^^ I don’t know if that’s the best view of downtown LA. It’s kinda looks too low-key and makes the skyline even smaller than it is already. The best views are the inland ones, especially in the foreground of snow capped mountains. In fact, that view would be better with those mountains being snow capped like they are now.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by jd3189

^^^ I don’t know if that’s the best view of downtown LA. It’s kinda looks too low-key and makes the skyline even smaller than it is already. The best views are the inland ones, especially in the foreground of snow capped mountains. In fact, that view would be better with those mountains being snow capped like they are now.

My opinion / comment regarding the view in that photo was based exclusively on the angle of the skyline's towers (one sees a similar angle while driving north on the 110 from the 105) and the fact that you have a clear shot of the city's 3 tallest towers in it.

Mountains, snow on mountains, other natural scenery, etc. doesn't affect my opinion of a city's skyline, whether that city is L.A., Denver, San Francisco or any other city that might also happen to lie in a beautiful natural region.

[Will O' Wisp]

Approach into KSAN after a business trip. There is nothing quite like watching your window completely fill up with wizzing skyscrapers on decent.

[Quixote]

^ Definitely unique and cool for us skyscraper buffs, but as was previously mentioned, also a little too close for comfort. I can’t help but think about AA11 and UA175.

[10023]

What is there to see in Dallas?

O’Hare can be good if you’re on the right approach and sitting on the left side of the plane. LAX coming from the east and sitting on the right side. Portland recently was pretty impressive with the Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood.

I’ve had some good views of London recently courtesy of ATC making us circle over east London, then flying east to west over south London toward Heathrow. That gives you views of Canary Wharf, the City, Southwark, West End, Hyde Park, Kensington etc.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

This aerial view definitely shows a bad angle of the DTLA skyline. Ground level (approaching from the south via the 110, from the north via the 101 or from the west via the 10) is more impressive.

That said, if you think L.A. really doesn't have a whole lot of skyscrapers based on the photo above, it's even more amazing when you consider it's a fairly recent photo that shows the "new" DTLA, with 20+ more towers than DTLA had 15 years or so ago.

Even now, their skyline seems in line with Seattle, despite metro LA being 4x Seattle metro.