Which side of the plane should I sit on to avoid the sun from Jeddah (JED) to Cairo (CAI)?
On this route the shady side switches during the day, depending on when you take off. Add a departure date to see yours.
Which side of the plane should I sit on to avoid the sun from Jeddah (JED) to Cairo (CAI)?
On this route the shady side switches during the day, depending on when you take off. Add a departure date to see yours.
Which side of the plane should I sit on to avoid the sun from Jeddah (JED) to Cairo (CAI)?
On this route the shady side switches during the day, depending on when you take off. Add a departure date to see yours.
Jeddah → Cairo
A short flight from Saudi Arabia to Egypt. Set your watch back 1 hour on arrival.
This route crosses the Tropic of Cancer, the northernmost latitude where the sun passes directly overhead.
The bride of the Red Sea
Jeddah sits on the Red Sea coast, a commercial port city long serving as the main gateway for pilgrims heading to Mecca and Medina. King Abdulaziz International has its own Haramain High-Speed Rail station, with direct trains toward both holy cities, while trips into Jeddah itself still rely mostly on cars, taxis, and buses. Summers are extremely hot and humid given the coastal location, easing only slightly in winter. The city is built around wide roads, so most local trips are easiest by car or taxi.
Surrounding hubs
| 1,204 km / 748 mi | |
| 1,218 km / 757 mi | |
| 1,224 km / 761 mi |
The mother of the world
Cairo sprawls along the Nile in a metro area of more than 20 million people, one of the largest and oldest continuously inhabited urban areas on Earth, with the Pyramids of Giza visible from its western edge. The metro system doesn't yet reach the airport, although an extension is planned; taxis, ride-hailing, and buses cover the trip for now, and traffic can make it slow at peak times. Cairo's existing metro lines are some of the busiest in Africa and the Middle East, covering much of the city along the river. It runs hot and dry most of the year, with mild winters and very little rain.
Surrounding hubs
| 757 km / 470 mi | |
| 1,108 km / 688 mi | |
| 1,214 km / 754 mi |
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.
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.
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.
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 →
Notes from the product.
Small updates, route observations, and clearer explanations for how the app keeps evolving.
Over the top, and other ways to fly
FlightSide now has Explore, a map of popular flights grouped by the path they fly, and a Guide with step-by-step walkthroughs for checking, sharing and using FlightSide offline.
Type less, wait less, wonder more
Airport search now understands metro codes and old city names, FlightSide loads noticeably faster, and a new Feeling lucky button chooses a flight for anyone without one in mind.
A closer look at the route, not just the seat
FlightSide now shows the two cities and key details about the flight alongside the seat recommendation: confirm you picked the right airports, read the time change off two clocks, and check the return leg.