I was able to choose my seats on a Northwest flight from Detroit to Paris (finally) this week. I have never travelled internationally and have what may be an odd question. First, I used seatguru.com to choose seats according to recline, distance from lavatories, etc. and have two together with a window for my 13yo 1 seat behind the exit row in the second section of coach seats. From thence comes my question...is there a better side to sit on the plane for the view as we arrive in Paris? I chose seats on the left (as you look at the diagram of the plane online--would be on the right as you walk into the plane from the forward doors), but then got to wondering if there would be an appreciable difference in sides with regard to the view....and one that would be discernable in advance. I figured the experts here on this forum could answer that question for me. Thanks!

Kellye. I can't answer your question but I have a suggestion.

Also post your question on flyertalk. I am sure you will get an opinion.

Good luck.

I can't tell you anything about the comfort of your chosen seats but I can tell you that nobody can predict which side will get any views of Paris.

Planes land according to the direction of the winds. It's not the same approach everyday.

For example, flying to Chicago from the west coast.

Sometimes the approach is from the west and nobody sees any part of the Chicago skyline. Sometimes the planes have to land from the east, so the planes have to do a little u-turn over northern Indiana and Lake Michigan and then fly just few miles away from downtown Chicago. In that case the people on the left side will have a chance to see the skyline. Sometimes the approach is from the south, in which case the people sitting on the right side of the plane will get to see downtown Chicago from far away.

All the above is only true if the weather is clear. All bets are off if there is a low cloud cover that day.

It's like playing the lottery. Pick your seats and hope for the best.

Have a great trip!

AA-

You sound like a frequient flyer indeed

AA explained it very well - don't worry about the side of the plane since there is no way to tell which direction you will approach from. And its quite likely you won't see any of Paris whichever side you sit on.

frequent, sorry

CDG is about 14 miles NE of Central Paris. Too far to see anything except Eiffel Tower, Montmarte,Tour Montparnasse and the group of highrises near La Grande Arche. And all will be very tiny.

Thanks for all the feedback. I figured it was a long shot, but knew you guys would know for sure!
Kellye