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Flying from Panama City to Santiago?

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

About this route

Panama CitySantiago

A long flight from Panama to Chile. Santiago is 2 hours ahead. Turn your watch forward before you arrive.

Route type International
Distance 4,809 km / 2,988 mi
Distance class Long-haul
Direction Southbound
Est. duration About 5h 45m
Time change Destination +2h

This route crosses the Tropic of Capricorn, the southernmost latitude where the sun passes directly overhead.

Departing from

PTY

Tocumen International Airport

Location Panama City, Panama
Time zone EST · UTC−5
Current time

The crossroads of the Americas

Panama City sits at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, a skyline of high-rises rising abruptly next to the historic Casco Viejo old town. Panama Metro's Line 2 runs directly to Tocumen Airport, one of the more useful airport rail links in Latin America, alongside buses and taxis. The canal itself is the city's defining feature and a major draw, with ships visible transiting it from multiple viewpoints. It's hot and humid year-round, with a wet season from roughly May to November.

Surrounding hubs

1,368 km / 850 mi
539 km / 335 mi
543 km / 337 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

2,934 km / 1,823 mi
1,138 km / 707 mi
1,367 km / 849 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

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