Flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Johannesburg → Cape Town
A short flight within South Africa. Same local time zone at both ends.
The city of gold
Johannesburg grew up almost overnight around 19th-century gold mining and remains South Africa's economic engine, despite Pretoria and Cape Town sharing the country's other capital functions. The Gautrain rapid rail line runs directly from OR Tambo Airport to Sandton and the city center, a fast, reliable link that stands out in the region. The city sits at high altitude on the Highveld plateau, giving it a mild climate with cool, dry winters and warm, stormy summers. Greater Johannesburg sprawls widely, and beyond the Gautrain's reach, most people rely on cars or ride-hailing to get around.
Surrounding hubs
| 4,524 km / 2,811 mi | |
| 2,437 km / 1,514 mi | |
| 2,695 km / 1,675 mi |
The mother city
Cape Town sits beneath Table Mountain at the southwestern tip of Africa, where the city's bowl-shaped center is wedged between the mountain and the Atlantic coastline. A MyCiti bus rapid transit route runs directly between the airport and the city center, since there is no rail link, alongside taxis and rideshares. The Cape's weather is famously variable, with strong winds (the "Cape Doctor") and a winter rainy season that's the opposite of most of South Africa's summer-rain climate. Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula, and nearby wine country are all within a short drive, making the surrounding landscape as much of a draw as the city itself.
Surrounding hubs
| 4,823 km / 2,997 mi | |
| 3,683 km / 2,289 mi | |
| 3,755 km / 2,333 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.
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.
It's all about the sun (after all)
Not all sunlight reaches the side windows. FlightSide now weighs the sun’s angle to the cabin and shows twilight along the route.