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Flying from São Paulo to Santiago?

Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.

About this route

São PauloSantiago

A medium flight from Brazil to Chile. Same local time zone at both ends.

Route type International
Distance 2,615 km / 1,625 mi
Distance class Medium-haul
Direction West-southwest
Est. duration About 3h 50m
Time change No change

Departing from

GRU

São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport

Location São Paulo, Brazil
Time zone GMT-3 · UTC−3
Current time

Brazil's financial capital

São Paulo is Brazil's largest city and financial engine, a dense forest of high-rises with no single historic core, spread across an inland plateau rather than a coastline. A commuter rail line reaches a station near Guarulhos Airport, with an automated people-mover covering the final stretch to the terminals on a limited evening schedule; most travelers still arrive by bus, shuttle, or car. The city is known for serious year-round traffic and a helicopter culture among executives trying to avoid it. It also has one of Latin America's deepest restaurant scenes and a dense, varied immigrant heritage, from Italian to Japanese.

Surrounding hubs

1,723 km / 1,071 mi
2,393 km / 1,487 mi
3,475 km / 2,159 mi

Arriving at

SCL

Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport

Location Santiago, Chile
Time zone GMT-3 · UTC−3
Current time

Chile's capital in the valley

Santiago sits in a long valley between the Andes and the coastal mountain range, close enough to the peaks that snow-capped summits are visible from the city on clear days. The metro doesn't yet reach the airport; a dedicated line is planned, so buses and taxis cover that trip for now, while the existing network serves the rest of the city well. Smog can build up in the valley during winter temperature inversions, when the surrounding mountains trap pollution close to the ground. It's the springboard to well-known skiing and wine country, both within a couple of hours' drive.

Surrounding hubs

1,895 km / 1,177 mi
2,462 km / 1,530 mi
2,934 km / 1,823 mi
How it works

Find out which side of the plane to sit on.

Pick your airports, set your departure time, and you're done.

We calculate the sun's position based on your flight path and departure time, then tell you which side of the plane gets direct sun and which stays shaded. No guessing, just math.

01

Enter your flight

Pick your departure and arrival airports and set your departure time at the departure airport. FlightSide estimates the duration and you can adjust it if you know the exact schedule.

02

We track the sun along your route

Your flight path is broken into hundreds of points. At each one we check where the sun is and which side of the plane it faces.

03

You get a recommendation

Which side of the plane to sit on, left or right, depending on whether you'd rather avoid the sun or enjoy it. The percentages and the map are there if you want to see why.

Want to go deeper? Accuracy, edge cases, polar routes — see the FAQ →

Latest journal

Notes from the product.

Small updates, route observations, and clearer explanations for how the app keeps evolving.